


Just Call When You're Around

by FallenPissyBird



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Bat Family, Blood and Injury, Canonical Character Death, Crime Fighting, Family, Fluff, Jason basically has a crush on everyone, Jason has a crush on Roy, M/M, a huge nerdy crush, and then he gets a crush on Dick, he's going through puberty it isn't his fault
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-08 07:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6846085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenPissyBird/pseuds/FallenPissyBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the new Robin had taken up on Nightwing's offer to call him if he needed someone to talk to? What if Dick had actually been around during the years that Jason was at his happiest, up until the very end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to arse-in-arsenal.tumblr for editing, they're the actual best.  
> This starts a week or so after the 1988 comic where Jason and Dick meet for the first time. Basically, Nightwing saves Robin's butt, gets in a fight with Bruce, and then teams up with Robin again later in the issue. It ends with Dick giving Jason his phone number to call him anytime he wants someone to talk to, because he's been in Jason's shoes before.  
> My tumblr is pissybirdboys, and I might answer prompts or upload more art there one day.  
> Title from the song "Always Gold" by Radical Face. Best Dick and Jason brotherly song out there, I swear.

Dick had just gotten back from a fairly easy mission, a routine gang bust-up, and was getting undressed to flop into bed when he heard the phone ring. His head snapped towards the noise, his brow furrowed over his light blue eyes as he wondered who in the world could be calling. He was in the tower, so the only people who ever really needed him were in other rooms. Alfred only ever called him in the afternoons, after he was sure Dick got enough sleep, and only around once a week to check up on him. Hadn't had a call from Bruce in months. There was really no one else in his life who would phone him, especially at 4:30 in the morning.

He approached the phone cautiously, lips pursed in a lingering curiosity, before he finally reached out and picked it up to answer. "Hello?" There was no response for a second, aside from the faint breath that indicated that there was a person there. And then a stuttered inhale, as if they were gathering all of their courage into their lungs. "Ya said I could call. If there was uh... if I wanted to talk or whatever."

It was that kid, the one who took his place. Jason, right? "Oh, Mr. Robin!" Dick relaxed and shouldered the phone so he could continue getting out of his suit. "I was wondering when you'd call. How's the new job treating you?"

There was a muttering of words Dick couldn't quite make out, ending with "-hardly call it new..." The older boy could only imagine where the kid was. Still in the cave, donning the red and yellow getup? Or had he made it upstairs and was using the living room phone? Maybe the one in the kitchen? He definitely hadn't told Bruce, Dick could hear it in his voice, in the first shuddering breath. Like he was afraid to reach out to someone else, someone besides his guardian. "He uh, doesn't talk much." The kid finally got around to speaking up again, probably because Dick hadn't rushed him. Patience was what drew words out, Alfred taught him that. "B, I mean. Doesn't say much of anythin'. I just been wonderin'... I dunno." He stopped abruptly, a hint of a waver in his young voice. Dick wondered if he was fidgeting with something, Jason seemed like the kind of kid to fidget with things when he got nervous.

"You're good enough, Jay." Dick knew exactly what was going through the boy's mind. Bruce wasn't one for reassurances, not obvious ones. And for Dick, that had been fine, he had been able to detect just when his mentor was pleased with his performance. He had been with him for years, beside him through thick and thin. And even before Bruce, he had his two parents, both of whom filled him with encouragements and praise until he believed he could fly.

Jason was different. He came from the streets, that's what Bruce had told him. He didn't know how the kid ended up there, figured him for an orphan of course, but before that Dick had no clue. Not to mention the younger boy had to deal with living in Dick's shadow, whether it was really there or he was imagining it himself. Jason didn't have that confidence. He was just a kid, with small shoulders and round cheeks dusted with freckles. He tried to act so much bigger than he was, especially in the costume, but that false confidence had him making errors, which only drove him further into his head. Maybe Dick could spare some of his time, help him make a Robin of himself. But not just a copy of what Robin used to be, but something better, a Robin that this kid could be.

"Pft." The boy brushed the compliment off, as if that wasn't the reason he was calling at 4:30 in the morning. "That is so not-"

"Tell you what." Dick cut the younger boy off before he could toss the words aside as if he didn't need them. "You fill me on your night, tell me what you guys did, which crooks you caged. But do it tomorrow, after we both get some sleep and a nice shower. Then we can go get lunch somewhere, alright? You get to pick the place, I'll pay."

"Tch, we'll split the bill." Dick could lost hear the smirk in the kid's voice, the cocky way he tilted his head back and slung his shoulders back. "I don't do charity, Mr. Nightwing."

"Of course you don't." The older boy held back a laugh at the notion of lunch being a charity. He didn't know how a kid- who was what, 11, 12 at best?- was going to pay for lunch, but he didn't ask as they wrapped up the short conversation to head to his bed, costume strewn on the floor without a second thought.

~

The lunch went better than Dick expected. Jason picked a place on the edge of Crime Alley serving authentic southern Asian food, and once they were seated the kid seemed to be relaxed in his element. The food was generous and fairly inexpensive, so he must have come here on more than one occasion back when he didn't have a place to come home.

The boy's lacking tension was also displayed as he spoke; his words weren't granted sparingly, nor were they built to be bigger than he was. He filled Dick in on the night he had with Batman, and how he was left behind to administer heart medication to an elderly man while Bruce ran after the crook. Dick laughed at that, only able to imagine how downtrodden Jason's face must have been at the order. When the younger Robin scrunched up his face, as if insulted at the brief laughter, Dick reassured him between his chuckles that Bruce used to do the exact same thing to him all of the time. That seemed to settle the boy's worries of being inadequate, and he was able to focus on his meal of noodles and beef more heartedly.

"So," Jason asked after he swallowed a mouthful of his lunch, "Teen Titans right? So like... who's in it?"

Dick could see a flicker of something in the boy's eyes in the brief glance that accompanied his question. He felt a pang of familiarity, and now knew how he used to look when he would ask Bruce if Batgirl would be accompanying them on missions. Oh boy, so Jason had a crush? Wonder Girl sure was a looker, he couldn't blame the kid. Could be Starfire. Maybe Raven, if Jason was into the scarier type of lady. But shouldn't he still be at the cooties stage? Then again, he was asking about Dick's team, who were all much older kids at this point, so maybe it was just intense admiration? "Well, let's see," he said as he put his fork down to discreetly watch Jason's face for any reaction to the list, "there's Starfire, Raven, Wonder Girl." He paused there, hiding confusion on his face when he didn't see a change on Jason's expression, nothing but waiting hopefulness. "Uhm there's Cyborg, Speedy-" There it was! For Speedy? Wait, Speedy?!

Dick finished off his list, and barely got the last member spoken before Jason was asking his questions. "You know Speedy?! Dude that's awesome! Can he really hit any target? From a mile away?"

"I highly doubt a-"

"I heard he pinned a beetle to a tree once and it was ALIVE! Didja see it? Was it cool?"

"No, I-"

"What's he like? Does he ever smile? It's not all an act, right? He's-"

"Alright, alright Little Wing!" Dick laughed, finally ending Jason's tirade by putting his hands flat on the table with enough suddenness to startle him into taking a breath. The nickname itself sort of just slipped out, but neither party seemed to mind it all that much, though Jason was now blushing due to the realization of how blatantly excited he had gotten. "Yeah he does smile, but no it is not an act. His grouchy cynicism is sincere. But despite that, he's still one of my best friends."

"Really?" Jason's embarrassment was put on hold again to make way for his awe. "You guys are friends? Wow..." There was a moment of sadness on the young sidekick's face, and it made Dick wonder if Jason had any friends of his own. But then the sadness was gone and replaced by excitement again. "Do'ya think I could meet him one day?"

"Meet him?" Dick smiled, pleased that he had a way to deliver some form of happiness into this lonely kid's life. "Sure! You know you could drop by the Titans Tower. I mean, the team should at least meet the new Robin."

Each word appeared to lift Jason's spirits more and more, especially the formality of the Teen Titans meeting the new Robin. It was like the kid still wasn't entirely convinced he was good enough to fill the cape, but hearing it from the first Boy Wonder himself reassured the former street kid, who puffed out his chest like a genuine red-breasted bird. "For real?! Well, I mean I guess I could stop by. Ya know, to like introduce myself an' all that."

"Sounds like a plan, Little Wing." Dick smiled with a low chuckle resonating in his chest. The new Robin wasn't so bad. He was a passionate kid, so the older boy could clearly see where he could easily get carried with anger or pent-up frustration. But he wasn't bad, not one bit.


	2. Chapter 2

Jason kept true to his word, and when the bill came, he ducked under the table accompanied only by his muttered words of “just one second, gotta get my stupid… ah got’em!” before he popped back up with a handful of wadded up money. Dick just blinked for a few moments, his stunned pause giving the younger boy the chance to grab the bill and look it over. “Okay, so this should cover my half.” He said as he separated a crinkled five and four ones, using the heel of his hand to try to flatten them out against the table.

When Dick was finally allowed to see the bill, he saw that Jason had also included a generous tip for the waiter, making him backtrack a moment or two on his previous generalization of street kids. He left his own money, matching Jason’s tip, and looked up at the boy across the table from him who was trying to fix his sock. So that’s where the money came from. “You have pockets you know, Little Wing.” Dick said, trying his best to keep the amusement from his voice, but he never was the greatest at hiding emotions.

“Yeah, I know.” The boy huffed, lips pursed up as if the tone of his predecessor had pinched a nerve. “It’s just… I dunno, harder for someone to boost my cash if I keep it in my sock.”

“Boost?” Dick asked as he let Jason lead the way out of the restaurant and to the curb where the older teen had parked his bike.

“Yeah, boost.” Jason spoke as if it was common knowledge, as if he was speaking to a fellow street kid. “You know, pinch? Nick? Lift? Steal?”

“Oh, steal!” Dick finally stopped the list when he got to the proper word for the term, not more slang. He grew up in a circus, so when it came to the slang of circus life or his Romani heritage, he was a pro. But the things that would come out of Jason’s mouth, accompanied by that street accent of his, that could take some getting used to.

The younger boy just glanced up at him, a downright humored smirk dancing across his lips, before he shook his head as if his companion was hopeless in all ways of the world. But then it was gone, his blue-green eyes flickering over to the bike parked up against the curb, smirk replaced by a thoughtful discontent press to his mouth. “So I guess I’ll see you ‘round then, huh?” He said, small hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders hunched forward just slightly as if bracing himself against the world.

Dick realized then that the kid thought he was going to bail. Or at least, that was his suspicion- the expression on Jason’s face, hardened past his years, eyes not glancing up to meet Dick’s, body tensed and ready to turn and walk in the other direction. The posture belonged to a kid who hid his heart and emotions in a strongbox locked tightly away under blood and bone. Jason wasn’t the type to wear his heart on his sleeve like most kids. The new boy wonder didn’t trust he’d ever see the vigilante again. The older teen tilted his head to the side in curiosity, his interest piqued as to how Jason got so untrusting at such a young age. “Lemme give you a ride back to the manor, Jay.” The acrobat smiled, trying to ease the kid out of his rigid stance.

It earned him a sharp gaze, not quite a glare, but not far from it. “I got here fine on my own, I know my way back.” Jason was taking the invitation not as a kindness, but as a condescending gesture to protect.

“I’m not saying you don’t, Jay.” Dick chuckled in a warm way, holding the eye contact with reassurance. “I know you can get back home perfectly fine on your own, I’m just saying it might be faster on the bike. And besides, it’ll give me a reason to stop by and say hi to Alfie. But if not,” he revved his motorcycle’s engine, feeling it purr under him once his legs were straddling it, “then I guess I’ll just see you when I introduce you to the Titans, yeah?”

A pause stretched out between them, with Jason’s teal eyes flickering down the street in the opposite direction, before they glanced back up at Dick. Mention of meeting the Teen Titans brought a brief light of surprise to the younger boy’s face, as if he had expected Dick to simply forget about the previous offer, as if he was used to enticing promises being snatched from his hands. And then he sighed, not a heavy one, but a relieved one, a bit of the tension in his muscles riding out on the breath as he stepped up to the bike. “Okay, okay. For Alf’s sake.” He clarified as Dick grinned back at him.

Dick didn’t bother trying to get Jason to borrow his helmet; he had a feeling that was going to be a battle all on its own, so he resolved to have the battle some other day. He let Jason get settled in the seat behind him, and tried to suggest that the boy wrap his arms around his waist instead of gripping the sides, but Jason shot him a look and Dick quirked a brow. Fine, then he’d just show him instead.

He accelerated faster than he usually did, if only to prove his point. So no more than seven seconds into the ride, (Dick was counting,) Jason had his smaller arms wound tightly around the hero’s waist, clinging as his life depended on it. Yet, as the ride progressed, and Jason grew more comfortable, he began egging Dick _faster, faster Dickie, go faster!_ as if he had never been afraid in the first place.

It was there, in those moments of racing through Gotham’s streets, that Dick realized just how brave this kid was. Jason wasn’t the type to overthink the world, to stop and calculate the outcome of every step before he could make it- he would just make them. ‘Is that bravery, or is that foolishness?’ a voice in his head spoke up, a voice that sounded eerily familiar to Bruce’s, but it didn’t take away from the admiration he already had building for the younger boy.

When they got to the manor, Dick parked outside of the extensive garage, a smile splitting over his face as Jason danced around on visibly shaking legs. “That was so fast at first I was like ‘thereisnowaywecangothatfast’ but then you WENT that fast and all those other cars, well they didn’t stand a chance against you, it was like a race dudeyouhavetodoaRACE!” Dick had to hold back his laughter as Jason spoke like he had been wound up, and he just had to get all his words out before taking in a breath of air.

“A race huh?” Dick asked with his smile securely across his features as he approached the manor doors. He tried not to think of having to see Bruce again, who he was still sore at for replacing him with no notice, no word, nothing. But seeing Alfred open the door before he could even ring the bell ensured that the smile stayed there as he stepped forward to hug the butler before the British man could even speak.

“Ah, nice to see you come in through the front door, Master Richard.” The older man said in his drawling tone, returning the hug with one hand as he gave Jason a discreet look over the first Robin’s shoulder. It made the younger boy giggle a bit, but Dick was more than happy to ignore it. He knew this family wasn’t the best about hugging, but he’d be damned if that would stop him! “Master Jason, what on earth happened to your hair?” Alfred then inquired, giving the boy a second glance when he saw just how messy the curly locks had gotten on the ride home.

“Oh, uh, there was a uh…” Jason tried to come up with a worthwhile fib to get out of the scolding from not wearing a helmet. Smart kid, he knew he was about to get a lecture. “A tornado!”

“Is that so?” Alfred asked in his dry way, having dealt with children enough with Bruce and then Dick to know when it was a fib. “Well that is odd, there was no mention of a tornado in the forecast this morning. I’ll be sure to call the station and demand some answers as to how this could have happened in our fair city of Got-“

“N-no no no wait up Alf!” Jason stuttered a bit as he ran after the butler, who was heading to the kitchen phone to “call the station.”

Dick just laughed under his breath and shook his head as he followed after the two of them. He hadn’t planned to stay for too long, but then Jason was damned-near begging him to train a bit in the cave, using methods of “C’mon Dickie, it’s your duty as the first Robin to teach the second one how to kick ass!” His choice of words got him paying a monetary fee to something called the Swear Jar, which had never been in place when Dick was around. Turned out young Jason had a mouth on him.

Dick couldn’t say no to the kid. He had a big set of eyes that reminded him of the shoreline- pretty blue water with tints of green when the light hit it right. A kid with the ocean in his eyes, and he didn’t want to evoke a storm from him. Not to mention, he was always down for some training; he wanted to see what this kid was packing when it came to moves.

Whereas Dick was an agile Robin, flipping and twisting his way to safety, Jason was a brawler. He fought hard, and he fought smart. He used the environment to his advantage; at one point he even threw a discus at Dick as a distraction before going in for a kick. But in the end, his muscles didn’t have the power that he yearned them to have, and he wasn’t as trained in the way of fighting to stand a chance.

Dick won four rounds in a row, and then the kid stole the fifth. Dick would never admit it, but what got Robin his victory was the exhaustion and readiness for the match to be over, so Dick may have thrown in the towel a bit earlier than he was capable. But he’d never admit it- didn’t want to steal that grin of victory from Jason, or the way his freckled cheeks were flushed and his eyes shone brightly. He was a determined boy, and it was clear to Dick that Jason would fight to the end of the world if he could emerge the victor. A trait that he was sure put caution in Bruce.

Jason showered first and got dressed in record time, before he was running upstairs to help Alfred make dinner. Not before he got a verbal promise that Dick was staying for it, of course. And then it was Dick’s turn to shower, and he used his old bedroom to take his time. Bruce had kept it the same; he had given Jason a different room to call home in. That made Dick smile. Jason was looking less and less like a replacement, and more and more like some kind of extension to the family. Maybe even a brother.

When he was all finished making himself presentable, he lingered in his room for a time. He let his fingers run over the dresser, before sitting at the end of his bed as he remembered how many nights he had spent sleeping there. How many nights had he spent tossing and turning, excited for the night to come to put on the cape and get back out on patrol with Batman. But those days were past. Now he had a team all on his own, and they were his team, his friends. And Batman had a new partner in the form of a spitfire kid, one whose smile was radiant with joy and whose eyes were like seafoam, refreshing and alive.

“Dickie, DINNER!” He heard a loud yell from a small kid echoing up from downstairs.

He used the banister to slide down, and found himself interrupting a mild scolding of Alfred to Jason. “Master Jason, your legs work perfectly fine, so next time you are to walk up the stairs. We refrain from using our bellowing inside of the manor, no matter how expansive it is.” Then the butler’s sharp gaze locked on Dick, and the first Robin knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth. “And Master Dick. The banister. Should not. Be polished. By your behind.”

“Aww, but Alfie, I’ve been working out my behind for just that reason!” Dick tried to plead with the man, earning a snigger from the second Robin, who was looking up at the older teen with a mischievous grin.

Alfred shook his head, flourishing his mixing spoon in a dramatic gesture of exasperation. He muttered something along the lines of “two boys” and “death of me” before he disappeared back into the kitchen, and Dick turned his attention back down on Jason. “So, did you actually help make dinner? Or just eat the ingredients like I used to?”

“Tch, you kiddin’?” Jason scoffed, folding his arms over his chest with a proud tilt to his head. “I totally help! Alf says I’m the fastest learner of the culinary arts he’s ever met!”

“More like the only willing learner.” Dick chuckled as the younger boy grabbed his wrist to drag him into the dining room.

He first took note of the fourth presence in the room, sitting at the head of the table as he usually did. However, there was a deflation to Dick’s anger towards the man. What if Bruce really was lonely? What if he really did just miss having a partner out there, someone who wasn’t so dark and foreboding? What if, when Dick left, he was being a tad unfair to the older man? Dick held Bruce’s gaze for a few long moments as Jason shuffled out, able to read the room, and deciding he could go help Alfred gather the food together. “Bruce… I’m-” He started, but then the billionaire’s hand went in the air to cut him off.

“Don’t.” He said dismissively, in the way that only Bruce was able to. Much easier to bury the words and move on, that was what the man was best at. And Dick was more than happy to enable it this time around. “Have a seat. We’ve had two chefs tonight, so I hope you’re hungry.”

The food was as Dick expected it to be- magnificent. Alfred was a wizard in the kitchen, and even with a child protégé, he was able to make a meal to die for. Jason shoveled his food in, despite Bruce’s multiple attempts at correcting him. Dick glanced over at the boy and the familiar phrase of his own upbringing flashed through his mind, however it was altered for Jason’s case; you can take the boy out of the street, but you can’t take the street out of the boy. And despite Jason’s apparent ability in the kitchen, he still had the table manners of a boy raised by the street.

Dick and Bruce did most of the talking over dinner, or at least Dick did with the occasional grunt of a response by Bruce, but it was nice. It felt like old times. When the plates were emptied, Jason was more than happy to help clear the table the second that Alfred reached for his plate, insisting “I can do it myself, I don’t need no butlerin’!” which of course earned him a grammar lesson from the amused butler.

That gave Bruce and Dick the time to stand and slip into the parlor before Jason could guilt them into helping as well. Dick made himself at home in the comfy couch by the fire, while Bruce took his post standing by the mantle, as if he was getting ready to brood over the portrait of his parents that hung above it. But instead, his intensive icy gaze lingered on his first sidekick, watching him in a way that would have made anyone else squirm.

“Do you miss it?” Bruce asked, breaking the silence first as he pulled his gaze away to watch the fire instead.

Dick mused over the question, letting the answer roll around on his tongue for a while before he got around to answering. It was unlike him to think things through, but this was a deep question, and needed the time and effort put into it. “Yeah. I do. A lot. But our new directions are crucial for us, I think.”

Bruce sighed, but not one of sadness. It was less heavy, it was like he was in agreement. Dick was a master at deciphering which sigh was which at this point. “Your team. It’s doing good work.”

That was as close to an “I’m proud” as Dick was ever going to get, and he was aware of that. “Yeah, I make sure we do.” He said, his chest pushed out a bit, like a bird whose feathers were being praised. Bruce acknowledged his team. That was huge. “And your new kid,” Dick started, a smile drifting over his face as he went over the day in his mind, “He’s pretty great.”

Bruce almost looked proud. Keyword, as always, being ‘almost.’ “He’s got a long ways to go.” He grunted out, making Dick roll his eyes. “Don’t.” The older man scolded when he saw the expression on his former partner’s face. “He needs extensive training. He’s still so reckless, and impulsive, and he-”

“He’s a kid, Bruce.” Dick cut him off, standing from the couch with a smile flitting over his face. Bruce’s words were anything but surprising to him. He remembered how he strove for perfection from his sidekick, he knew that from his firsthand experience.

He went to stand in front of his mentor, the man with a collection of masks that would take any Halloween store out of business. A man who had a different face for every situation, circumstance, conversation. A man who needed to put on his fatherly face like he had for Dick, and treat Jason with the same devotion. “And yeah, he’s not as happy, or as carefree as I was. But that doesn’t mean he needs to be trained to fit that mold. He’s Robin. And he’ll be great.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, it turned out to be a lengthy chapter. And I only included two members of the Teen Titans, because two was plenty long enough as it was. Maybe I'll include more later, who knows.

"I still don't get why there ain't no pants with this getup." Robin fidgeted with his shorts for the fourth time. He seemed to be getting more and more self-conscious of his attire as Nightwing led the way towards the tower, and it was the second time in a ten minute period that he had mentioned the lack of fabric making up his outfit.  
  
"Because pants make it harder to do splits and roundhouse kicks." Dick repeated, but it was clear Jason wasn't listening to his reasoning. The older teen could almost see the boy's mind racing, even behind the white lenses of his mask. Was he nervous? Dick hid a smile at the thought, pride filling his chest and inflating his lungs. It was his team after all, and if Jason was nervous to meet the Teen Titans, he must look up to them. He wondered how many kids out there looked up to his team, saw them and found themselves awestruck at the amazing abilities and flawless teamwork, their handsome leader and-  
  
"Dick, stop." Jason said suddenly, drawing Dick’s gaze down to the boy walking at his side. The kid wasn't fidgeting with his shorts anymore, but instead watching his face with his upper lip curled up slightly, a crinkle to his nose.  
  
"Stop what?" The older teen asked, brow furrowed behind his mask, steps paused on the rooftop.  
  
Jason didn't stop however, just turned his gaze forward again with a shrug as he took the lead now. "Your face was bein' all weird. Looked like you were about to sing or somethin'. I didn't need you to embarrassing yourself before we even get there."  
  
Dick's jaw dropped at the younger boy's words, still lagging behind him as he watched the brat prance onward without him. "Y-you... they're MY team!" He finally stuttered out, picking his pace up to a jog as he tried to catch up to the Robin boy, who he could have sworn was _giggling_.  
  
"Exactly!" Jason retorted, his own pace increasing as he hurried to keep the distance between them. "So you must embarrass yourself all the time as it is! I'm tryin' to help ya here, Dickie!"  
  
That little brat! Dick had to fight to keep a smile off his face as he began to run after the yellow cape, nearly catching him before Jason reached the edge of the building. He didn't even have his grappling hook out before he leapt, one knee bent up towards his chest, other leg pointed diagonally towards the streets below them. His laugh, pure and innocent, and yet still so mischievous, trailed out behind him like a song from a flying bird. He showed no fear at the sheer drop, the vast distance between his small body and the asphalt below, like he knew he could really fly.  
  
Dick knew in his mind he should preach caution to the boy, maybe tell him how a healthy dose of fear would keep him alive, but there was no way he ever would. He didn't want anyone to take the wind from under Jason's wings. The boy had fears, he had seen them in his pretty ocean eyes before, but it wasn't of death. Death couldn't touch him, he was _Robin_ , he was _the Boy Wonder_ , and Dick could remember that feeling of invincibility. He didn't want to take it away from the tough little cookie that was his replacement, he didn’t want him to doubt his steps out of fear of his own mortality; he wanted Jason to _fly_.  
  
Nightwing lingered at the ledge for a moment longer, his gaze watching the red and yellow bird as the cool night breeze drifted behind him, egging him forward. He finally let himself fall forward off the ledge- arms spread out like wings, feet pressed together- and just allowed the wind to buffet around him for a moment. But then he pulled out his grappling hook as Robin began to swing away, heading towards the T-shaped building waiting by the outskirts of the city.  
  
Along the way, it became a race; at least in Jason’s mind it was. Dick easily kept ahead of the flitting bird, seeing as he knew the city much better than the boy who rarely left Gotham. But Nightwing was still surprised at how well the young sidekick was keeping up with him, always right on his heel. His competitive nature clearly gave him the boost to his younger body to keep up.  
  
When they finally arrived at the front door (Dick arriving a second before Jason), both boys were panting from the exertion of the rooftop race, Jason’s chest heaving just a tad more as he pointed a gloved finger at Dick. “I want… a rematch… in Gotham…!” He managed out between lungfuls of oxygen.  
  
“Don’t be such a sore loser, little wing.” Dick spoke as he steadied his breath and smiled down at the messy-haired sidekick. “And maybe if you weren’t sucking down cancer sticks every night, you’d have a chance of winning.”  
  
Jason’s face twisted in surprised guilt, before he scowled and folded his arms over his chest. “Who told’ya?!” He barked out.  
  
“It doesn’t take too much detective work to smell it on your nightshirt in the morning, kiddo.” Dick smiled and tousled the boy’s hair, who tried to swat his hand away adamantly. “Which means if I figured it out, then Bats knows too.”  
  
Jason grumbled something out defiantly, with Dick catching only “not _every_ night” of the mumbled mess. And a curse word or two. “Hey, maybe it’ll convince you to quit, huh little wing?” Dick smiled, and Jason just stuck his tongue out at his predecessor. “Oh, real mature.”  
  
“Dick!” A sudden voice called from above, and the both of them tilted their heads back to search for the source. Dick knew who it belonged to, of course, so the smile was already on his face as the alien princess flew down to them to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug, her legs bent up behind her as she floated weightlessly in his hold. “You’re back early!”  
  
“Figured I’d surprise you, Kor.” Dick said as he pulled back, eyes glancing over the woman’s tangerine skin, her bright emerald eyes, hair flowing like a constant cascade of fire out behind her. “So… surprise!”  
  
She laughed and hugged him tightly again, looking like she was getting ready to kiss him before she noticed the boy standing nearby. “Oh, hello there.” She beamed, detaching herself from Dick’s arms to land on her own two feet, leaning over to look down at the sidekick. “You must be the new Robin.”  
  
Dick had to hold back a laugh as his replacement stared at the woman, seeming dumbstruck for a solid two long seconds before he jolted back into his body. “Wow! You’re…” He seemed to struggle for the right word, face blushing a deeper red the further he seemed tripped up over the expectations on him to finish the sentence. “Tall!” He finally settled with, and Dick could not stop the short, barking laugh that escaped him. The same laugh that got him a rock kicked at his shin from a very pouty Robin boy.  
  
“Tall?” The princess asked, before a smile as bright as the sun itself split over her face. “Thank you!” She then crooned, patting at Jason’s curls. A move like that would have gotten Dick’s hand swatted at- he knew from experience- but the kid didn’t seem to mind one bit when Kori did it.  
  
Dick couldn’t help himself from puffing out his chest a bit in pride as the young sidekick and alien princess introduced themselves to each other formally. Jason seemed so awestruck at Koriand’r, it made Dick feel even luckier to have her as his girlfriend. If the rugged little Robin- whose awe was something hard to earn- was impressed with Kori, then the woman must really be the sun eternal. Of course, Dick always viewed her as the goddess she was, but having little reminders from outside sources like that, it always made him hold his head a little higher and his heart skip a little faster.  
  
“Almost 13?” Dick honed back in on their conversation as Kori tapped her finger to her lips as if she was impressed. “Wow! Well when it is your birthday, you have to stop by the tower so I can see how much you have grown. And we can have cake! We can have cake, right Dick?” She then looked over at her boyfriend, hands pressed together in excitement.  
  
Dick blinked a few times before smiling, eyes glancing between the two excited losers. “I don’t see why not. But not too much cake this time Kor, you know what happened last time.” Turns out they didn’t have anything like cake on Tamaran, and Koriand’r had been amazed by the taste of the dessert- so of course she bought two more and tried to eat them all in one night.  
  
“Of course not!” The princess beamed before wrapping Jason up in a tight hug, making the Boy Wonder grin with his cheeks sprouting an adorable blushing pink.  
  
The warrior princess floated inside the tower with them, chatting with Jason about the extent of her abilities- started of course with the Robin boy’s question of “Is it true you can _explode_?!” Dick let the two of them talk, watching over them with a fond gaze as the woman displayed how she could easily pick Jason up with one hand, and then allowed the child to touch her hair and see it was not as hot as it appeared. Jason seemed to absorb the knowledge with intense respect for her incredible powers, instead of challenging her or questioning her weaknesses. The kid seemed like a brat at times, but in conversations like these, Dick was reminded just how mature Jason was.  
  
Jason continued chatting with Koriand’r for another half hour before the polite conversation was broken by the door of the tower opening. “You were supposed to switch off with me twenty minutes ago, Kor.” Dick’s head turned to see one of his best friends storming in, tossing his hat on the back of the couch before he jumped over the back of it to land sprawled on the cushions. “Patrol, remember? That thing we all do? The thing _I’m_ stuck with because your shitty boyfriend wants every stupid weekend off nowadays?”  
  
He wasted no time in grabbing the remote, turning the TV on as he put his precious bow carefully on the cushion beside him. He then tossed his hand up in a flourish, talking in a high-pitched mocking tone. “As the _leader_ of this team, I reserve the _right_ to take time off so I can go live the _rich boy_ life that I-”  
  
Dick cleared his throat to cut the former sidekick off, making Roy’s head wrench around to take notice of the added company that was standing by the door he had just stormed through. A moment of silence dragged between them, before Dick was raising his brow behind his mask and folding his arms over his chest. “’Rich boy life’? Do you not remember who raised you?”  
  
That drew a scoff from the archer, and it was clear Roy was making no moves to apologize for mocking his friend. “Ah yes, because leaving a kid alone for months on end in a mansion, that’s ‘raising’ them.” He and Ollie were not on good terms. Probably wouldn’t be for a very long while. “So why you here, anyways?” Roy then turned his gaze back to the TV so he could flip through the channels idly.  
  
Dick furrowed his brow, wondering if Roy was trying to be oblivious or if he really hadn’t noticed Robin standing right- wait, where did he go? Dick looked around, doing a full 360° turn before it was clear that the Boy Wonder was gone. He looked up at Koriand’r, who had her fingers pressed over her lips in soft giggling, before she nodded towards one of the hallways and then lifted her hand in a farewell. “Well then I’m off. I’ll see you later, Dick.” She crooned in a soft voice, planting a soft kiss on his cheek to also whisper, “Say goodbye to Robin for me, he hid around the corner the second Roy walked in,” in his ear.  
  
Once the princess left, Dick let out a sigh and looked towards the hallway with his brow furrowed. Why in the world was Jason hiding? Surely now that he could see Roy in the flesh, he could see what a loser the guy was. Sure, he was one of Dick’s best friends, but he was crude and sharp- hardly idol material. And yet Jason was running like a scared lamb the first second he could.  
  
The older boy scratched his head before reaching up to peel his mask off slowly, resting it on a nearby tabletop before he was heading towards the hallway. “No, no that’s fine. Just ignore my question, it’s not like I was looking for an _answer_ or anything, god forbid.” Speedy was grumbling from the couch, still channel surfing with his feet propped up on the ottoman now.  
  
Dick ignored his friend and instead slipped down the hallway, finding Jason only a few paces down the corridor, fidgeting with his pants again. And then his cape. And then gloves. And shirt. He sure was a fidgety kid when he was nervous. “Hey little wing, you okay?” Dick asked in a low voice so that Roy couldn’t overhear them from the living room.  
  
“Y-yeah, of course I am!” Jason said, the stutter in his words and then the wavering tone being a clear giveaway that he was lying. “I’m just uh, I saw a bug and squashed it for you guys. You’re welcome.” He mumbled, not lifting his head as he was fixated on the shorts again, trying to pull them down as if it would make them longer.  
  
“A bug, huh?” Dick found back a smile, before tapping the tip of the boy’s nose to get him to look up and stop messing with his short pants. “Then thank you Jay, I would have hated to have to deal with a bug later. Now, do you want to meet Speedy?” He played along with the bug excuse for Jason’s sake, but it was clear the alibi wasn’t going to hold out for much longer. Not with the way the Robin’s face was now a bright red at the thought of meeting Speedy.  
  
His face twisted up, bottom lip sticking out in what looked very much like a pout- although the last time Dick had called it that, he got a heavy kick to the shin from the boy who insisted it was _not_ a pout. “Yeah, I just gotta… I have to… does my hair look okay?” He asked the question in such a soft, desperate voice, gloved hands going up to his curly locks as if he was trying to hide it from the world.  
  
Dick smiled, a gentle and affectionate smile, and reached forward to carefully wrap his fingers around Jason’s wrists and pull his hands down again. “Your hair looks awesome, little wing. Roy will think it’s awesome.” He reassured, finding warmth blossoming in his chest at how adorable the child was. He had a crush. It was so obvious to Dick now. Sure, he looked up at Koriand’r in sheer amazement and awe, but the way he was acting before he was even in front of Roy? He was a crushing little kid, wanting nothing more than the approval of the archer who somehow had shot an arrow through his heart. “You can take your mask off too, we don’t have secret identities among friends. And he already knows who Bruce is, so it wouldn’t take much to figure out who you are, little wing.”  
  
Jason absorbed all the information, and after a moment or two, he lifted his hands to slowly peel his mask from his face. “… Roy.” He then said, his voice soft and dreamy, as if he just wanted to taste the real name of his idol in his mouth. “I like it.” He then said as he looked up at Dick, who smiled at him and touched his cheek with his thumb.  
  
“Ready?” Dick asked, voice still lowered in a whisper, and Jason puffed up his entire torso as if trying to summon the courage from the façade of body posture. He nodded once, a curt gesture, and Dick held back a chuckle as he led the way back out of the hallway. “Sorry Roy, did you say something?” The teen asked once the archer was back in sight again.  
  
“Hmm?” Roy asked, gloves and mask off now as he was munching on some chips. He didn’t even turn his head, just kept his gaze on the screen where he settled on some show about how guitars are made in factories. “Oh, c’mon! They are taking way too many shortcuts, if they added just a little more fuckin’ care to the build than the acoustics would be SO much better!” He argued at the TV, his attention fully engrossed in the show despite Nightwing’s attempt to get his focus.  
  
“Roy.” Dick said, his tone a bit firmer now, a bit more demanding. “Didn’t you ask what I was doing here? And then complain when I didn’t answer you? I’m ready to answer you now.”  
  
A groan escaped the redhead before he finally tore his gaze from the TV to look over his shoulder at the leader of the team. His eyes were only on Dick for a moment before they flickered over to the small bird standing beside Nightwing. “Oh, shit. Are you quitting and handing the team over to an eight year old? Is this why you’re here?”  
  
Dick had never wanted to hit Roy as much as he did now. The leader of the team stiffened, before glancing down at Jason to make sure he wasn't crumbling now that he was experiencing first-hand how much of a jerk Roy Harper was. But instead, the kid was just blushing like a tomato at the fact that the redhead had noticed his existence, and was just... standing there.  
  
Roy paid no mind to the intense blush on Robin's face, and stood up to stretch his arms over his head with a grunt. He then stepped around the couch to start walking towards them, muscled arms folding over his chest once he stood close enough. "I'll take that as a no then. Never thought I'd see the day where I'd meet a _silent_ Robin, it's a miracle." He grunted out a dig at Dick, before an amused smirk flickered across his face as if he was just now noticing how cherry-red Jason's face was. "Alright kid, am I going to get to learn your name from you, or will I have to open a newspaper and read about the new orphan Wayne's graciously adopted?"  
  
When Jason still said nothing, Dick looked down at him with his brow raised as the silence continued on. But he was still just standing there, eyes darting from Roy to the floor, and back up to Roy again once the archer took his gaze off of him. Definitely not a nervous rambler, not like Dick was. "Is he... is he broken or something?" Roy then whispered to Dick, gesturing down to Jason as if he wasn't standing right there.  
  
"Don't be a... a…" Dick struggled for a word for a second, glare boring into his teammate.  
  
"A what? A _dick_?" Roy sneered, lips curled in a downright mischievous smirk. One that reminded Dick of when Jason sported the same expression. Well, the crush made a little more sense now; they were both teasing devils.  
  
Dick ignored the insult at his name, before looking back at Jason to nudge his side with his body. The reaction was instantaneous- the kid startled and puffed his chest up again, donning his mask of bravery once more. "Jason! M-my name, it's uh, Jason." His voice seemed to lose the bravado with each word. Teal eyes now stared up at Roy, as if he was trying his very hardest to maintain eye contact and not chicken out by looking away.  
  
Roy shifted his posture, the smirk growing into a smile, before he was stepping closer to Jason to lean over and be eye-level with Robin. Each movement closer brought a new splash if crimson to the boy's skin, until his ears and nose were as red as his cheeks. "Jason, huh?" Roy spoke in front of the boy, who was clearly holding his breath. Probably fretting over how his own breath smelled, Dick figured. "Well Jason. It's nice to meetcha." Roy offered his hand in a handshake, and Jason's ocean eyes flickered down to the hand. There was a slight pause, before the boy took his hand in his own for a shake. Roy's eyes widened, and a grin split over his face, followed by a laugh. "Jeez kid, I wasn't looking for a show of strength!"  
  
"Oh, uh..." Jason was still bright as an apple as he rubbed the back of his neck meekly, dropping the handshake as if Roy had accused him of burning him or something. "B said that the key to a good first impression is a 'firm grip!'"  
  
"Really?" Roy was still smiling as he stood up straight again, running his fingers through his hair. "And is the lil Robin bird looking to impress me?"  
  
Dick shot Roy a warning glare, one that went ignored. As always. "Yes!" Jason barked out, before clamping his mouth shut in doubt. "I mean, no? No no, I mean I don't care, duh..." He turned his gaze to the ground, kicking at the floor with his pixie shoe as if he was now too cool for the conversation, when Dick knew he was internally malfunctioning. Or at least, he figured he was. The kid couldn't choose between coming off as tough and strong, or aloof and nonchalant. Made Dick wonder how he had behaved when he was introduced to his idols as the first Robin. Was he embarrassing in front of Wonder Woman? Or Clark? He certainly hoped not.  
  
Luckily, Roy wasn't enough of an ass to view it as pathetic. He seemed amused- maybe even proud- that his presence was eliciting this kind of reaction from the boy. "Don't care, huh?" He asked with a shrug, glancing back at his bow on the sofa. "Well I was gunna invite you to watch me train for a bit, but if you don't care then-"  
  
"For REAL?!" And there went his act. Jason literally jumped to attention, hands clasped together in front of him, smile splitting across his face like Roy was inviting him to the damned _prom_.  
  
Roy laughed again, the carefree kind of laugh he had. It lacked the usual cold, biting tone, and the haughtiness when he was accepting victory. Dick liked that laugh, he was glad Jason got to hear it. "C'mon bird boy." Roy said, nodding his head down the hallway before he was going to the couch to grab his bow and quiver. He shot a look at Dick too, inviting him along in a silent way, earning him a smile from the older batboy.  
  
"So, where'd the bat recruit you from, squirt?" Roy then asked as they walked down the hallway towards the training room.  
  
"I was boostin' the tires off his car." Jason spoke matter-of-factly, seeming to relax the more time he spent with Roy. Dick was relieved that Roy hadn't been a complete and total asshole, so that the new Boy Wonder's confidence wouldn't be shattered. He felt oddly protective of his replacement.  
  
"What, his limo?" Roy chuckled at the thought of it. Apparently Roy understood what 'boosting' was, making Dick wonder just how many people were in on the slang of the street.  
  
"Nah, the Batmobile." The sidekick corrected, and Dick watched his teammate's jaw drop.  
  
"Wait, you're _shitting_ me!" Roy said, before he was laughing as if it was best origin story he had ever heard. "Damn kid, did you not recognize it for what it was, or were you just feeling lucky?"  
  
"Nah, I knew what it was." Jason shrugged, drawing Dick's gaze on him. He always figured the kid was smart, knew how to look out for himself, but pulling a reckless stunt like that? Did he _want_ to get caught? "But I figured, if there was even the slightest chance I could get away with it, then I had to try. I mean, the Batmobile's tires? They'd prolly sell for a shitton! And I needed the money for-" he stopped suddenly, glancing between Roy- who wasn't looking at him- and Dick- who was. Dick narrowed his eyes at the kid, who seemed to be adjusting his story. The same story that Dick was so interested in, he hadn't felt the need to scold the boy for his language! "Some shoes I wanted to buy." The pause went entirely unnoticed to Roy; or at least, it seemed to. If he did notice, he didn't make any indication of it.  
  
"So you were willing to lift the big bad Batman's tires, and then sell them on the black market," Roy asked with a smirk as he held open the door to the training room to let them in ahead of him, "just for some shoes? Why not just lift the shoes?"  
  
"Oh, uh..." Jason bit at his lower lip, fingers pulling at his cape for a moment. Alfred always taught Dick that one lie would lead to so many more. Looked like Jason was learning that first hand. "Store that sells 'em is in a mall in the fancy part of Gotham." There was no 'fancy' part of Gotham. "Security there is like a bank. I knew I didn't have a chance there."  
  
Dick gave Jason a look, but the little bird's attention was snapped up by Roy as the archer took his bow off his arm. Fine. He'd let it slide for now, but later, he was planning to fill the holes in Jason's story. He was hiding something.  
  
For the next two hours, it was clear that Jason's world was inhabited only by Speedy. The archer showed off a bit- as Dick knew he was prone to do in front of his fans. He showed Jason nearly all of his trick shots, and then let the small sidekick look at his arsenal of arrows, explaining what hidden ability each one had. Even told him some of the tech behind it, which Jason grasped much better than Dick ever could.  
  
Dick was more than happy to just lean back and allow his teammate to be in the spotlight for once, relieved that the archer's rough edges were smoothed down for the kid he affectionately called bird boy. But as they got better acquainted through the night, he began calling him Jay instead. Finally, Roy seemed to settle on smushing the two names together, earning Jason the nickname Jaybird, which of course had the sidekick blushing up a storm again.  
  
After a while of Jason geeking out over arrows and Roy's impeccable aim, the archer demanded a display of Jason's abilities. He took him to the sparring ring, and Dick smiled as he took Jason's cape and ruffled his hair in good luck, (which of course was swatted away by hands gloved in green.) Nightwing watched the two, taking the chance to observe Jason's fighting from the sidelines and not in the ring.  
  
A little too eager to impress, Robin lost the first round. Rushed in, made too many mistakes, doubted himself a few too many times. But even in the short match, Dick could see just how different the two Robins’ fighting styles were. Whereas the first Boy Wonder preferred agility to force- using his flexibility to dodge moves and cause the opponent’s own weight to work against them- his underling was different. Sure, the kid was still agile, and used his much smaller frame to his advantage many times over, but there was still a _force_ about him. Especially in his legs, making his tackles and his kicks something that were best avoided.  
  
The second match seemed to relax the sidekick a bit more, especially now that he had a good idea of how Roy fought. The archer was used to having his bow, and even when it wasn’t shooting arrows, he had it modified so that he could use it as a striking weapon should the need arise. Without it, he had a tendency to allow Jason to get too close. But even when Robin got too close, the redhead had those arms of his. His chest, shoulders, and arms were Roy’s greatest weapons. They were what allowed his shots to go so far, to pack so much sheer _power._ Jason seemed to observe that, and was adapting by staying low and sturdy.  
  
Dick watched as the match went on, surpassing the time of most matches. It didn’t surprise him; he knew how much Jason liked to spar with hand-to-hand combat, and he knew how much Roy liked to practice his. The redhead didn’t like having weaknesses, so on discovery of them, he often sought anything to remedy the situation. And in his fight with Jason, Dick could see the emerald eyes watching every single move, as if he was committing them to memory to experiment with later.  
  
When Roy won again, it was a close call. Jason almost had his legs out from under him with a well-placed kick to the chest, but Roy was able to use a move that the kid had displayed in an earlier counter. One that had Jason off-balanced within a second, with Roy leaning over him with his foot lightly resting on his red tunic’d chest. They were both out of breath, and Dick could see a sheen of sweat across their brows. “Always assume that your opponent can use your own moves against you, Jaybird.” Roy smiled down at the kid, who was looking up at the older teen with eyes as wide as saucers.  
  
Jason swallowed- noticeably so- and his face began flushing even darker. They were both fairly red in the face from exertion, but his was spreading back to his ears and nose again. He muttered something under his breath, and Dick was sure he caught at least _three_ swears, but he shoved Roy’s foot away from his chest and stood up. “Rematch!” He demanded, looking ready to lunge at the redhead to initiate the spar.  
  
“No! No rematch!” Dick said, standing up to hurry into the ring before they could start again. He stood between them, standing in front of the Boy Wonder who was giggling and taking it as a challenge to successfully get around his predecessor. “Jay, c’mon! Bruce’ll kill me if I don’t get you back to the manor in time for school!”  
  
“Aw, you always say he’ll kill ya!” Jason laughed, ducking forward before feigning to the side to try to step around Dick, who missed the chance to grab him by an _inch_. “But B doesn’t kill, that’s his big number one rule! So I don’t think he’ll kill you Dickie, I think he’ll just lecture you!”  
  
“EXACTLY.” Dick said, gripping at his hair in a dramatic display of terror. “His lectures are _murder_ little wing! Now would you just- gah, stay still!”  
  
No surprise to anyone, he did not stay still. He giggled again, pure evil in his tone, before he was jumping out of the ring to run to Roy and duck behind him. The redhead looked entirely too amused by the situation, a smug smirk on his face as he looked back at Dick with a cocked brow. “Roy, don’t.” Dick warned, knowing exactly what the older teen was thinking- he could see the thoughts swirling in his malicious green eyes.  
  
“Hey, Jaybird.” He grinned at the kid, who was still hiding behind the archer. “Dick’s room is on top floor.” Dick lunged for the redhead, who ducked and wrapped his arms around the acrobat’s waist to hold him firmly in place. “First hallway to the left, room all the way at the end! Elevator is down the hall to the right!”  
  
“ROY!” Dick yelled, but the damage was done, and the little bird was downright _cackling_ as he ran out of there in a flash. He had little legs, but damn was that brat fast. “Jay, stop, GET BACK HERE!” Too late. He was gone.  
  
Dick growled as he smacked the back of Roy’s head until the laughing teen finally let him go, to which the leader ran to the door as if Jason was waiting for him around the corner. He was not. The elevator door was closed, and the kid was probably jittering in excitement at the chance to rummage through Dick’s things like the demon he was.  
  
So instead of yelling at the brat who wasn’t there, he snapped his head back to glare at Roy. Who was _laughing._ “Roy, this isn’t funny! Bruce is going to _kill-_ ”  
  
“Kill you, yeah yeah, got it Boy Wonder.” Roy said once he had managed to subdue his laughing. “But c’mon, you make it too much fun for me. Look at your face!”  
  
“My face?!” Dick snarled, marching back over to the redhead, who held his ground with his hands lazily resting in his pockets. “My face is ANGRY, Roy! How is that entertaining to you?”  
  
“Pft, not that face, Dick.” Roy waved his hand in front of Dick as if he was just swatting him away, before he was stepping around the team leader to go pick up his bow and gather his arrows. “I’m talking about the face you made when you realized that Jaybird was going to go for it. You knew he was, probably before he did. It’s cute.”  
  
“How is that cute?” Dick asked, still standing where Roy had left him, face twisted up in disbelief and lingering anger.  
  
The archer just shrugged, gathering up his things before slinging them back over his shoulder. “It just is. I didn’t get to have a brother growing up. Neither did you. But in that moment, it kinda looked like you did. I thought it was… I dunno. Cute.”  
  
Dick narrowed his eyes, lips pressed together in denial. Jason wasn’t his brother. They were just, what, coworkers? Yeah, coworkers. Coworkers that were friends. And yeah, he was protective of the kid, but only because he used to wear those dumb pixie boots and didn’t want the title of Robin to suffer. And the kid was only 12, of course Dick was going to look after him, show him the ropes, and get him better acquainted to the world! He was a brat, sure, but he was a good kid, a great kid.  
  
“You comin’?” Roy’s voice snapped Dick out of his moment of introspective denial, and he looked up to see his teammate waiting in the doorway. “I mean, we should probably stop him before he figures out where _my_ room is. There are things in there he shouldn’t see.”  
  
Dick hurried after Roy, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What’s in your room, Roy?” He asked, earning a nervous laugh from his friend, whose only answer was to clap Dick on the back.  
  
As they waited for the elevator, Roy kept his eyes forward, watching the metal doors for them to open. Even as he spoke, he didn’t look over at Dick. “So. What do you think he was really planning to do with that money he was gunna get from Bat’s tires?”  
  
So he had noticed. Of course he did, Roy was as sharp as one of his arrows; despite how he often acted like an absolute _moron_. Dick was reminded how he often didn’t give his friend enough credit. “I dunno.” He said honestly, followed by a sigh as they stepped into the elevator. “I’ll try to find out, though.”  
  
The archer nodded with his lips pursed a bit, as if he was wondering what it could be. But then he swayed the subject from the topic of Jason’s lie. “It’s good you’re watching out for him, Dick.” The team leader looked over at Roy, who still wasn’t looking at him. He rarely made eye contact when he was like this; when he was being honest and soft, speaking what was on his mind without any spikes or biting words attached. “I know you’re looking for your independence from the Bat, but being there for this kid might be worth sticking around a bit longer. Sounds like he might need the guidance from someone aside from Bruce. You survived it, but only because your glowing optimism always shone through your teeth with every damn smile. Nothing could snuff that out. But this kid, his light is a lot dimmer.”  
  
Dick was quiet as Roy talked. He knew that his friend was speaking from experience. Speedy had the definition of a rough childhood. Rejection, abandonment, anger. He knew what it was like to give up hope- to just give up on the idea of family and friends. Of being worth anything, or even loved. So if he was worried about Jason, Dick knew his words were valid. “I don’t know his past, but just talking to him when I was shooting off arrows, it sounds like he’s constantly got one foot out the door. Like he’s waiting for the moment that Bruce shoves him out the rest of the way. Don’t let Bruce do that. And if he does anyways,” He looked over at Dick now, emerald eyes burning with something that made Dick want to cringe and look away. But he didn’t. “Do not close him out too.”  
  
Dick looked down then, remembering how he acted when Roy was at his worst. When he was a junkie, using his drugs to escape the reality of his insignificance to Ollie. How Dick just shut him out, just like everyone else- he wrote him off as a lost cause. Told him to get help, but didn’t actual _help_ him with it.  
  
Of course he had since apologized, and was always working to repair the damage he had done to his friend. But Roy wasn’t bringing it up for his own sake, he was thinking of the new Robin, with his quick legs and mischievous smile. It was for Jason, with the way his eyes sometimes went dark with self-doubt, and his fists would clench with words he was afraid to say. Roy could see that, he picked up on it from being able to relate to it. Back when he was just the sidekick to Green Arrow, who cared more for his name than his ward. Roy was worried for the kid. It made Dick want to grab his friend, wrap his arms around his big, muscly chest, and squeeze him until he felt like that small, freckled kid whose hat was too big for his head.  
  
But he was distracted by the elevator doors sliding open, and Roy stepping out as quick as he could- it was like he could _sense_ a Grayson hug was coming and was getting as much distance between them as he could. Dick would get him later. For now, he had to focus on getting Jason out of his room and back to the manor with enough time for him to shower and eat before school.  
  
But as they were running towards Dick’s room, a door behind them opened, and a familiar voice spoke up. “Lookin’ for me?” They both spun around to see the kid had his upper body leaning out of Roy’s room- apparently he had already gone through Dick’s room judging by the oversized Wonder Woman shirt the kid was now wearing. “Hey Dickie, check out what I found!” He grinned, all big and toothy and downright _evil_ , before his hand popped out to display what he was holding.  
  
“Roy.” Dick clenched his jaw as he slowly turned towards his teammate, who was standing there with a shocked look of betrayal. He was probably internally kicking himself for aiding in the monster’s escape. “Why do you have _condoms_ in your room in the _Tower_?! Are you bringing GIRLS to our HEADQUARTERS?!”  
  
Jason didn’t stop giggling for the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Dick helped himself into the manor, slipping through a window in the back so no cameras could catch Nightwing- the vigilante guarding Bludhaven's streets- sneaking into Wayne Manor. He knew he triggered an alarm, but also knew that the cameras were trained on him and Bruce was disarming the offensive system. He waved at the closest camera hidden in a lampshade, and could almost hear his old mentor rolling his eyes, before he was peeling his mask off as he stepped further inside.  
  
He stopped by the kitchen to grab a candy bar off the counter- it was probably Jason's, but he'd get him another one later. Maybe. If he remembered to. He then went to the entrance to the cave, sliding down the pole with one hand so he could eat his candy with the other.  
  
His steps were light and cheerful as he came up behind Bruce at the computer, who didn't even glance at him when he came down. And instead of a greeting, Dick got a gruff "Something you need, Dick?"  
  
"Jeez, I'm not allowed to visit?" He asked, leaning against the extensive computer. When there was no response, he let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "I was visiting Babs. Figured I'd stop by before heading back to the tower. Is that a good enough reason, Bruce?" Again, no answer, but the man did glance over at him with one of those indistinguishable gazes. One that Dick knew too well.  
  
"Don't give me that look." He huffed as the older man stood from his chair and put his cowl up over his head. "The team doesn't need me every single night Bruce, I'm allowed to take time off!"  
  
"You've been taking a lot of time off, Dick." Bruce grunted as he turned to start heading towards the car. "Spending a lot of time here. I thought you wanted your space."  
  
"Well, I… I did." Dick muttered, rubbing the back of his head as he looked around the cave. It was weirdly quiet down here; only a few minutes before patrol and yet no little bird jumping on the car or threatening to steal the tires if Bruce didn't _hurry_. "Where's-"  
  
"Jason?" Bruce cut him off, and Dick tried to glare at the man. But it turned out Bruce's glare was a tad stronger, so he dropped it and looked away instead. A moment of silence drew on for one, two, three whole seconds before "Benched."  
  
"What?" Dick raised his brow. Sure, getting benched wasn't unheard of, but usually only happened when there was unfinished homework- which Dick _knew_ Jason was keeping up with- or an injury. "Did he get hurt?"  
  
Bruce was watching him with that stupid look, the _detective_ look. He was assuming things in his head about everything Dick was doing- his words, his expression, his every movement. It drove Dick mad, it always had, but Bruce never stopped it. So the younger man just had to wait until he came to whatever false conclusion he would draw, and then he would answer his question. "Do you remember the first time you got hit with fear toxin?" He asked, thick arms folded over the bat symbol on his chest.  
  
The question caught Dick off guard, and he glanced at the ground for a moment as he remembered the night. He had only been Robin for less than a year, and still was just a kid from the circus who was trying to find good in the world, and trying to find his place. He thought Scarecrow was just another freak with a mask, but then the gas hit him and he could remember the absolute _terror_. It grounded him, sent him to his knees, before he was curled up on the ground, cape wrapped around him as he watched his parents fall to their death, screaming at him to save him. And when he didn't- when he _couldn’t_ \- they hit the ground with sickening crunches that were too loud and too _graphic_ to be real. And then they were lifting their heads, dead eyes locked on him, asking why he didn't save him. Why he wasn’t good enough to save them.  
  
And then the ghosts were morphing into this hulking beast of a man, a shadow with the ears of a bat and cape billowing out behind him. And in Bruce's twisted voice, deep and demonic, he was telling him he'd never be good enough. He was Robin, he was a _burden_ , he was a _nuisance_. He destroyed everything that the Batman had been trying to create!  
  
Dick could remember the crying, how he couldn't move, and how he didn't really want to. His will had been sapped by the fear, leaving him hollow and just scared to his core. Bruce carried him back to the manor, and Dick couldn't remember much more than that. "I mean, yeah. Of course. It was awful, I was just a kid and all my worst fears were coming true in front of my eyes." He said, not connecting the dots. He had nightmares for days after that, but Bruce hadn't _benched_ him for it.  
  
"What did you do when you got hit with the toxin?" Bruce then asked, eyes still peeling back Dick's every reaction as if he could read him like a book.  
  
"I froze." Dick said, his agitation clear in his voice. What was the point of this? He wasn't Robin anymore, and Bruce was dancing around a fairly simple question. As always. "I curled up and stayed there. You had to take out Scarecrow yourself."  
  
"Exactly." Bruce grunted, nodding his head just slightly, jaw set in a firm tension. "You stayed there and waited for the battle to be over. When I was done, I could take you home and take care of you. You were smart." Smart? Dick hadn't been _planning_ to freeze, he was too _scared_ to do anything else! "But four nights ago, Jason was hit with fear toxin, and instead of staying put, he _ran_."  
  
Dick's eyes narrowed, and he felt sparks of a fight just building in the room. "You can't be serious." He growled, but Bruce lifted a hand to silence him.  
  
"I couldn't find him for _hours_ Dick, do you know what could have happened to him? If the wrong people got their hands on him?" He took a step closer, before pausing as if he was regretting the simple movement. "He was vulnerable and he _left my side_. I had to let Crane go so I could find him, and even then, it was almost impossible!"  
  
"So what, you're going to _fire_ him?!" Dick snapped, baring his teeth in defense of the kid. "Bruce, you can't-  
  
"I never said anything about firing him, Dick." The man said, his voice reigned back in and all emotions were gone. It was only when they were absent that Dick realized they had been there in the first place. Faint, but definitely there. Bruce had been scared for the kid. "He's benched because he's refusing to go to sleep. I gave him a lecture, and he didn't listen to me, and last night he was sloppy and grouchy, and I realized it was because he hasn't slept since that night. I gave him strict orders to get some sleep, and even that he fought me on. So he's locked in his room."  
  
Dick wanted to be mad at Bruce. He really wanted to. And since the man fired him, he usually found it pretty easy to be mad at him. But he couldn't muster enough anger to be mad at him for caring about Jason. He lowered his gaze before sighing heavily, his own arms folded over his chest now. "And when you lectured him, did you by chance tell him why you were mad at him?" He asked with a raised brow.  
  
That made Bruce look at him in actual confusion. The man was supposed to be the world's greatest detective, he was supposed to be a _genius_ , but he was seriously confused about this?! "What? No. Of course not. That was beside the point."  
  
Dick growled, unfolding his arms to put the heel of his hand to his forehead. "No Bruce, that _is_ the point! You were scared for him! You thought he was going to get hurt! The kid gets hit with fear toxin, you yell at him in the same night, and you expect him to then be totally okay with obeying your every order? He's just a kid, he's probably scared of having more nightmares, and now he's scared of you too!"  
  
Bruce actually looked taken aback for a second, and Dick was seriously wondering how in the world he survived being raised by Bruce. Oh wait, Alfred. Definitely Alfred. Oh, and his alleged 'shining optimism,' according to Roy. "That explains the tears." Bruce grunted, and Dick wanted smack the moron.  
  
"He _cried_?!" Dick asked in disbelief as Bruce was getting in the car. Running away from the scolding, running away from any fault he could possibly be pinned with. Maturity at its finest. "Dammit Bruce, why are you so… augh!" He couldn't even finish the statement, just turned and stormed up to the manor as the roar of the Batmobile signaled the older man's leaving.  
  
He was pacing up and down the hallway between the kitchen and the library when Alfred came to stand by the wall and watch the young man's storming pace. "Something on your mind, Master Dick?" The elderly butler asked after the third time Dick passed him.  
  
"YES." Dick said, and that was all it took for Dick to start rambling off his anger towards Bruce. He explained the whole situation, being careful to not swear- he knew by now that the swear jar applied to everyone who entered the house. And when he was finished, he had his forehead resting on the wall while Alfred patted his back in the comforting way that he does. It always looked stiff to outsiders, but Dick always felt immense relief when the butler was doing so.  
  
"You know Alfie, I don't get why he wants this kid to be just like me when I was Robin." Dick grumbled as he didn't even lift his head from the wall. "I _never_ listened to the guy. I drove him absolutely _batty_ with my puns!" He wanted to smile at the perfection of that sentence, but he couldn't bring himself to. "He was always yelling at me, or trying to fix me. But now he wants the kid to be just like me!"  
  
"Well it's rather simple, Master Dick." Alfred sighed, as he usually did when he thought something was obvious and yet he was still doomed to explain it. "You survived. For many years you stood by his side and made his fight a little less dark. And you grew up into a man that Bruce can be proud of. So if he's trying to mold Jason into the Robin you were, it is simply because you made it out of the supposed 'war' alive and unbroken."  
  
Alfred's words stuck with him, made him wonder if Bruce really was proud of the hero he had become. If he was, he didn't show it. In fact, he criticized him just earlier for leaving his city to his team. But the butler was the smartest man in the house, so his words had a tendency to always be true. So Dick didn't argue it, just accepted the offer for hot chocolate and nursed at the cup alone in the kitchen before looking back towards the hallway again.  
  
He found himself leaving the kitchen, cocoa in hand, to head up the stairs towards Jason's room. He didn't bother knocking, just in case the kid actually listened to Bruce's orders, and carefully pushed the door open.  
  
It looked like he had done everything in his power to _not_ obey. His guitar was lying in his bed, along with a book or two, and a whole stack of them on his desk. And that was were Jason was- asleep in the chair, arms folded under his head with a book open under his makeshift pillow. Must've tried to stay awake by playing guitar and reading on the bed, before moving to the desk when he got too tired.  
  
Dick moved silently- he was trained by the bat after all- and put the cocoa on the bed stand before he went to sit on the edge of the bed draped in red sheets. A lot of the room had red accents. It made Dick smile to himself, thinking of the time Bruce had asked Jason his favorite color out of curiosity. The kid looked up at him, gave him a look of pure disbelief, and said 'green' in the most sarcastic tone. Bruce still believed his favorite color was green.  
  
The first Robin let his gaze linger on the books on the bed. He recognized the title of 'Call of the Wild', but the other one he didn't. He picked it up, looking over the title that read 'Sons and Lovers', turning it to the back as he searched for a blurb, or maybe a summary. But he was distracted by a noise from the desk, coming from the sleeping child whose fists were now clenched and whose face screwed up tight.  
  
Dick stood up quietly, placing the book back on the bed as he watched how Jason began to fidget a bit. His muscles were tight, brow furrowed up and together in either pain or fear. The whimpers were steadily getting louder, more desperate, as the kid turned his head to hide his face in his arms. Dick silently approached the boy, debating if he should wake him up or just let him catch up on the sleep he obviously needed. Maybe the nightmare would pass?  
  
He got his answer in the next few seconds as Jason suddenly lurched, head shooting up, arms pushing at everything in front of him until the stack of books crumbled and the one under him suffered a torn page or two. The boy tried to get away from the desk, feet finding the floor as the chair fell backwards. His eyes were wide and wet, and Dick made a grab for him to wrap his stronger arms around the kid before he could hurt himself.  
  
He was talking, but it was fairly incoherent babbling in a broken and pleading tone. He trembled in Dick's hold, but didn't push at him- instead he seemed to fall into him, fingers curling in the vigilante's costume. "Little wing, it's okay, you're safe!" Dick pressed a hand to the back of Jason's head, trying to smooth the curly hair as the babbling continued. "I've got you Jay, I've got you…"  
  
"Th-they burned her u-up I d-din't want I-I-I-" He was crying, Dick could hear it in his voice without even having to look at his face. A choked sob interrupted his stammering words, and he seemed to allow that to be the end of his vocalizations, putting all of his efforts into crying instead.  
  
Dick could remember the nights after Scarecrow's toxin. Not just the first time it happened, but every time. It stayed in your system, the chemicals lingering in the bloodstream until you let down your guard by attempting to sleep. And then it would attack again, eating your dreams and trapping you in nightmares until you woke up screaming. The effects wore off after a few days, but it was a necessary evil, even when supplied with an antidote.  
  
"C'mon Jay, it's alright…" Dick crooned to his replacement, who felt so small and fragile in his arms. The kid really was tiny, maybe from malnutrition when he was on the streets. He continued stroking the boy's hair, soothing the sobs into hiccups and the tremors into the occasional shiver. "See? You're safe…"  
  
And then the little Robin was pushing at Dick's chest until the young man let him go. His face was splotchy and wet, and his eyelashes were still dabbled with tears around downcast eyes. Jason didn't meet his gaze even once, just turned to his closet to get on his hands and knees to crawl inside. Dick stood from where he had been kneeling, and slowly made his way to the closet just as Jason emerged, holding a worn wooden box protectively to his chest.  
  
"Hey, what's that?" Dick asked in a soft voice, but the kid was making a beeline towards his shoes. He didn't look at Dick and didn't put down the box as he slipped his unlaced shoes on.  
  
Lucky for Dick, he was a pretty intuitive guy. And so he was able to put himself between Jason and the window just as the kid was hurrying towards it. With his eyes still on the ground, Jason clutched the box closer to his chest, sniffling. "I gotta go." He muttered, before he pursed up his lips like he was trying not to cry.  
  
"No, you don't." Dick said in a firm yet caressing tone. "What you gotta do is sit your butt on the bed and talk to me. Or if not talk, then just sit with me."  
  
A flutter of his lashes, and Dick found the ocean gaze of his replacement for just a second before he was looking down again, face even more stubborn than before. "N-no, there's… I need t-to go do somethin'…" He tried, and Dick could hear the wavering of his tone as the child tried so hard not to cry anymore.  
  
Dick let out a sigh, confident that Jason was too upset to make a bolt for it if he should take a knee. So he did, kneeling to be eye-level with the curly-haired Boy Wonder, who still avoided eye contact. "Little Wing. Look at me." He tried, but only got a quivering lip in response. So Dick reached out and touched his chin to force his head up a bit.  
  
Jason finally did meet his gaze again, and within a second, they were swimming with tears that rolled down his freckled cheeks in fat drops. "I-I don't _belong_ here!" He said suddenly, voice broken up in anguish that made Dick's chest tight. "I don't belong n-nowhere…"  
  
"No, no no no…" Dick cooed as he reached forward to wrap his arms around the boy, who flinched but didn't pull away again. "Oh Jay, you do belong here. This is your home now! You can't leave your home, everyone needs you here…"  
  
"N-no…" Jason spoke between his sobs, still clutching that box like it held his very life inside. "B s-says I m-mucked everythin' up, I-I… I just can't be as g-good as you were D-Dickie…!" His head fell forward to bury into Dick's shoulder, as if he could hide the tears against his costume.  
  
"No, you're not me. You're _you_. And what you are is Robin." Dick spoke tenderly, running his fingers up and down each knob of the boy's spine, stopping at his neck to run circles around the ones right under his curly hair. "You don't have to be anyone but yourself. Bruce was just _scared_ , and he shouldn't have yelled at you. He just didn't want to lose you, Jay. He'll never admit it, but that's his biggest fear- losing his Robin."  
  
The sobs were quelled to weak cries, but tears still rolled from ocean eyes to black and blue costume, before finally plopping to the ground. Jason didn't say anything for a while, before a whimper escaped him that sounded like enough of an agreement to Dick. So he moved his arms to wrap around Jason's waist, carrying him the short distance to the bed before sitting him down and then putting himself right next to him.  
  
His eyes were glued to the floor again, hands crossed across his chest to press the box there. His thumbs were moving across the wood as he sniffed and tried his best to stop more tears from falling down his red cheeks. Dick wrapped his arm around the boy, pressing a long kiss to the top of his curly head before he just nuzzled his nose in the dark locks.  
  
Well, Roy was right. As he usually was. The first push Jason got, and he tried to make a bolt for it. Dick didn't know if the kid was planning to run away forever, but just the thought of Jason thinking he belonged on the streets more than the manor was enough to make his chest ache even more. "You belong _here_ Jay." Dick whispered into his hair, earning a heavy lean from the Robin boy.  
  
The silence dragged on for a few solid minutes, before Dick finally pulled his head back to look down at the boy. His tears had stopped, leaving his eyes red and looking rather exhausted. Dick could now see the dark circles carved under his eyes, evidence of what Bruce had told him. No wonder the kid was getting sloppy on patrol- he looked like he could be a zombie. "So…" Dick spoke softly to not startle the sidekick. "What's in the box?"  
  
Jason looked down at the box pressed close to him, and he ran his thumbs along the edges before shrugging. But Dick didn't push him, giving him the chance to gather his own thoughts before he was lowering it from his tight grip to rest in his lap instead. “It’s uh…” He sniffled again, lifting one hand to rub at the back of his neck. “M-my mom.”  
  
Dick’s eyes widened, and he knew his surprise reaction of tightened muscles and cocked head went noticed by the boy next to him, who looked up at him and began shaking his head. “No, it’s not like… it’s not weird or nothin’!” He said, waiting for Dick’s slow nod before he took in a deep gulp of shaky air to steady himself. “When my mom died, I had to run away. I didn’t wanna be put in the system, I know what it’s like in there. I didn’t have a choice. And I mean, even if I stuck around, there’s not much I coulda done… We didn’t have any money, my dad died in prison, and Mom didn’t have any family left. So I called the police and they took her away.”  
  
He fidgeted with the box a bit more, before he swallowed a pretty obvious lump in his throat. Dick kept himself quiet and rubbed his thumb against Jason’s shoulder, encouraging him to continue. This was the most Dick had ever heard of the boy’s past from Jason himself. “I felt like I failed her… she died while I was at school, and I-I wasn’t… I wasn’t even there for her. I thought, maybe if I’d been there sh-she wouldn’ta… maybe she’d st-stop an’…” His eyes filled with tears again, and Dick wanted to just hug him again, wanted to tell him that nothing was his fault. Bruce told him about Catherine Todd- drug overdose after being addicted for years. It had only been a matter of time.  
  
Jason pulled himself together, seemingly determined to not shed anymore tears for the night. “S-so… when they took her away, I was left with… nothin’. I didn’t wanna end up in the system, so I couldn’t get any of my family’s money. Not that there was much to begin with… but that’s not the point. The point is…” He broke off his words, sounding like he didn’t know how to finish. So instead he nodded down at the box, and then carefully popped the latch to open the lid.  
  
Inside, there was an orange dress, plain by nature but holding a certain beauty in the delicate seams. Underneath the dress, Dick could see a few other items along the bottom of the box. A necklace- simple but still rather elegant- a receipt, a napkin with some writing on it, and a photograph of a mother and son. He let his gaze lift back up to Jason, who ran his fingers over the orange fabric in a caress. “Unclaimed bodies either get donated to science or cremated. So I’ve been keepin’ this stuff with me, and while I was on my own I was tryin’ to save up money so that I could buy her a proper grave. But I just… I couldn’t make enough of it.”  
  
“So that’s why you tried to steal the Batmobile’s tires.” Dick said in a soft breath, drawing Jason’s gaze up to him as he pursed up his lips again.  
  
“Y-yeah…” The boy nodded, before he was letting the lid close softly, the latch clicking shut once it was shut. “That was ‘posed to be my break. I’d be able to sell ‘em and then… my mom could get a real resting place.”  
  
“Little wing…” Dick sighed, moving his hand from the boy’s shoulder to instead brush through the curly hair. For once, Jason didn’t object; he leaned into the touch, eyelids fluttering closed as he swallowed visibly. “Your mom would be so proud of you, Jay. You’re a good kid.”  
  
The boy’s bottom lip quivered, and Dick was sure he was going to start crying again, but then he just opened his eyes again and held his predecessor’s gaze for a moment. And then Jason was pitching forward, hugging Dick tightly around his chest, face buried against his body. Dick froze in a moment of stunned disbelief, before his arms were winding around the kid securely.  
  
Eventually, the precious wooden box was put carefully on the bed, and the vigilante maneuvered positions so that they were laying back on the mattress. He kept his arms wound around his small replacement, who was still not objecting to the reassurance delivered through cuddling. Dick figured he was too exhausted to fight the affection.  
  
He let his fingers move through thick, curly locks as he watched the even breathing of the boy whose head rested on his lower chest. Dick was propped partially against the headboard and some pillows, so he was able to let his gaze study the sidekick whose body became more relaxed with each passing second. Dick was almost sure the boy had fallen asleep at long last, until the steady silence was broken by his small and hoarse voice. “If you tell anyone about any of this… I’ll kick the crud outta ya.”  
  
Dick couldn’t help but laugh, the sound escaping him in a few breaths before he continued running his fingers through Jason’s hair. “I won’t tell a living soul.” He reassured, smiling as Jason lifted his head a bit to be able to look up at the older teen. “I promise.”  
  
The savvy street kid narrowed his eyes at Dick, as if he was assessing the weight of his words as one would inspect a hundred dollar bill. “Alright. Good. Now, you owe me a backstory yourself.” He determined with a sleepy nod of his head.  
  
“And I’ll be sure to deliver that on that.” Dick said in agreement. “ _Tomorrow._ You need some sleep, little wing. You can barely keep your eyes open!”  
  
“ _You can barely keep your eyes open…_ ” Jason actually _mocked_ Dick’s tone of voice, but it only made the vigilante laugh. It was way too nasally, and the kid needed to hit puberty before he could even start to make fun of Dick for having a high-pitched voice. The brat could be in the choir for god’s sake. “I’m awake…”  
  
It was such a lie. Jason could barely keep his eyes open. Dick sighed, the sidekick rising and falling with the heavy breath. “Sure you are, Jay.” He used a softer voice, hoping it would help lull him to sleep. “How about I stick around, okay? Just in case you get anymore nightmares.”  
  
“I ain’t scared of no nightmares…” The boy mumbled in his exhausted voice, nuzzling his cheek against the blue of Dick’s costume. Good thing the material was breathable, looked like Dick was going to be stuck in it for the night.  
  
“Alfred would have your head for that grammar.” Dick pointed out as Jason’s eyes fluttered closed, and he took in a deep breath as if he was ignoring the minor scolding. “So if you’re not scared of any nightmares, then I can go, right?”  
  
“Mmm I’m sorry, can't hear you over that weird noise.” Jason said, eyes still closed and body still heavy from where he had half of it draped over Dick. “Shh Dickie, you gotta be quiet… Can you hear it?”  
  
Dick was confused by the change of subject, but narrowed his eyes and kept the silence to strain to hear what it was Jason was referring to. “What?” He whispered in a breath after a moment of elongated silence. He looked around the room, searching for anything that could be the source, and then down at Jason in confusion when he still heard nothing. “Jason, I don’t-”  
  
The brat was sleeping. The little devious trickster had fooled him into silence so he could fall asleep, without having to pick between admitting fear or having Dick leave! Still, the vigilante couldn’t do anything but just smile down at the evil kid, fingers still laced in the dark curly hair as he did his best to keep Robin’s nightmares at bay.  
  
As he eventually found himself drifting off to sleep on his own, he found himself thinking of how Alfred was going to kill him for leaving that cup of hot chocolate on the bedside table without a coaster. But that was a problem that he could tackle in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

The first time Dick had watched Jason soar through the sky in the red tunic and yellow cape, it had filled his chest with a foaming bitterness that nearly consumed his rational thinking. The next few times, it made his bones ache in melancholy, knowing that he could never be that young and weightless again.  
  
But now, as the vigilante watched his replacement’s face split into a wide, rambunctious grin, he could feel nothing but relief. The Robin legacy didn’t have to die with him, nor did it have to grow old and jaded as he did. The mantle could be passed down onto a boy with the ocean in his eyes, curls in his windswept hair, and freckles dusted over his rosy cheeks. And Dick didn’t have to mourn his own yellow cape, because he’d be there every step of the way to ensure that Jason felt comfortable in his own. He didn’t have to miss being Robin, not when he was so happy for the boy who held the title now.  
  
“If you don’t keep up, I’ll leave you behind Dickie!” The boy cackled as he jumped from another ledge, maintaining his solid lead over his predecessor.  
  
“It’s _Nightwing,_ Robin!” How many times would he have to scold this kid for using real names in the field? Still, the smile didn’t leave his face as he ran after the boy in his green pixie boots, his musings over the past now left behind him. He had to actually work to keep up with Jason out here- any other city in the world and Dick would have him eating dust, but this was Gotham. No one knew Gotham better than the current Robin.  
  
“Okay, then I’ll leave _Nightwing_ behind!” Jason let out a whoop as he grappled through the air, pulling himself onto the roof with an extra flip before he found his footing. He looked back at Dick as the older teen landed behind him, a grin stretched over his face as if he was ready to burst out ‘Didja see, didja see the flip?’  
  
“Nice moves, little wing!” Dick laughed, answering the question before it could even be vocalized. “I wonder who taught you that one?”  
  
“I dunno, some dork from the circus.” Jason had his chest puffed out, like a proud little bird showing off his plumage. “Didn’t catch his name, I was too busy beatin’ all his records.”  
  
“Oh, is that so?” Dick laughed, before he was swooping forward to grab the punk’s cape and flip it over his head, making him scramble a bit under the yellow material. “You still have much to learn, young grasshopper, and so you must respect your elders.”  
  
Jason finally got his cape righted, hair even more of a mess (if it was possible) and cheeks a seashell pink from Dick’s sneak attack. “Respect this you big-” He began charging at Dick, presumably to climb on his back and mess up his hair, but a glance at his predecessor’s face halted him. “What’s up, big bird?”  
  
Dick didn’t bother glaring at him for the silly nickname that Jason had given him a week or so ago, he just lifted his two fingers to his ear to hone his attention in on Alfred's voice. While Batman was away on Justice League business, the position of Gotham's Guardian had been passed down to Nightwing- despite Bruce's previous cold observations of how much time Dick was spending back in Gotham. So despite the fun and games of racing over rooftops, and the promise of a fun training exercise at the end of the night, they still had work to do.  
  
"Looks like we got activity downtown. Fire in an apartment building." Dick spoke once Alfred gave him the address, relaying it aloud to his sidekick for the night. "It's one of the buildings of a suspected drug dealer."  
  
"Guess I shouldn't ask him how his business is doin' then, huh?" Jason had turned and started heading in the proper direction the second he had gotten the address, pulling his grappling hook from his belt.  
  
"Guess not." The older teen chuckled a bit, only a few paces behind Robin before he was following him off the ledge of the rooftop.  
  
Nightwing was used to being a sidekick. He was then accustomed to working on a team, and being a leader of a group of his peers. He was even well versed in the art of being a lone wolf at this point. But being in a duo and not playing the role of the sidekick in the dynamic? It had his skin feeling itchy, had his suit feeling too tight. He had to keep telling himself that it wasn't permanent- that he wasn't going to make a habit of this. He wasn't going to adopt an orphan, or get all broody and serious, or even put on a cape. He wasn't going to turn into Bruce just because he was stepping in to help for a night or two. Right?  
  
He didn't have much time to ponder it past that point, not when his attention was absorbed by the pillar of smoke. Grey was blooming from windows blown open by fire, like a darkness being chased out of wounds in a dying beast. Nightwing's first actions were to assess the situation- look over the crowd below and separate spectators from the family begging for their loved ones to be saved. He had to try to determine how many were trapped inside. He grabbed onto a fragmented cry of 'daughter, third floor' and shot his grappling hook to catch onto a ledge directly above a window three stories up.  
  
"Robin, ensure the fire escape exits are secured, and then talk to the fire chief and get a solid number of people trapped inside." He spoke out his order, glancing over to see the argument forming on the boy's face before he could even open his mouth.  
  
"But I wanna-"  
  
"Help, I know." Dick had spent so many years wearing that yellow cape, that he knew the what the sidekick longed for; even if it wasn't him in the boots, it was Robin. Robin was always going to be the same, Robin was always going to want to just _help_ . "Securing the fire escape will allow people to help themselves, so we can dedicate time to helping those who can't. Report to the communicator when you have a count, and do NOT follow me inside!"  
  
And then Dick was gone, before Jason could argue. He knew that the kid just wanted to help, he wanted to save lives, but Dick couldn't chase the truth away- Jason was a kid. A kid he cared about, a kid he wanted _safe_ . He finally got Bruce's perspective on things, back when Batman would order Robin to stay back and help the injured. He finally had to look into big blue eyes, framed by thick lashes and a green latex mask, and say 'please stay safe; be alive when I get back.' Unfortunately, he knew those same words could be translated to 'you'll never be a good enough partner' to younger ears, so he'd have to try to clarify the best he could once the chaos was over.  
  
His thoughts of reassuring his temporary sidekick were put on hold the second he breached the open window of the burning building. The heat was so thick, it was like hitting a tangible wall that partially knocked Dick's breath from his lungs. But he couldn't focus on the suffocating temperature, he had to search for the people still trapped in the inferno.  
  
He hurried forward, finding his visibility to be lacking with the billowing smoke filling the air. The flames had yet to reach the third floor, but the sight of flickering yellow and orange light in the stairwell made it clear that it was climbing upwards. "Anyone here?!" Dick yelled out, trying to get a pinpoint on any victims before the roaring flames got too close and would drown out his voice.  
  
When he heard a faint response of "Over here!" he began running over on light feet. Had to keep his steps careful in case there was structural damage that would affect the floor. He found the girl- couldn't have been older than eight- in a bathroom after kicking down her apartment door, where she had the stuttering shower on as if she could keep any flames at bay. It was an adorable idea, but would do little to staunch this inferno. So he grabbed her into his arms and got the window of the bathroom open, where the fire escape was secured and all the ladders were safely lowered.  
  
After helping the girl climb all the way down, he heard a rather grudging voice speak in his ear, reporting four more victims trapped inside. Jason then reported that the suspected meth dealer was also unaccounted for as Dick took in deep breaths of fresh air before plunging back inside.  
  
Four more innocents were saved as quickly as Dick could manage. Each time he had to brace his body to charge back into the spewing smoke, he felt his muscles react a little slower- his lungs burning a little louder. But he had to do this, he had to save them. “Anymore?” He tried to keep his voice clear from the burning exhaustion that was plaguing him as he spoke over the comm, waiting for a report from Robin. He nearly jumped out of his suit when the response didn't come from his ear, but from directly beside him.  
  
“Just the bastard responsible.” Dick didn't like the tone of Robin’s voice in that moment- it was too reserved, too old for his young voice. Like the ‘bastard’ wasn't worth going in for. “You can't stand another dive in there, Nightwing. Let me-” His fears were proven wrong when the boy offered to put his life on the line to go in there for the dealer, but it still didn't fully chase Dick's worries away entirely. But he'd ponder it later.  
  
“No.” He cut him off, and internally hit himself when he heard the sharp inhale of breath from Robin. Jason hadn't expected that. It would've been different if it was Bruce here, Dick knew. Jason would know that Bruce would never allow it, he'd be prepared to be cut off rudely and shoved aside. But the young boy still held out hope that Dick would let him prove himself in a trial of flames and deadly smoke. Why wasn't there an easy way to tell Jason that he didn't _have_ to risk his life to prove himself? Oh wait, there was. “Robin, you don't _have_ to risk your life to prove yourself! You've saved lives today, okay? You've helped plenty, you've been an unbelievable asset. But I won't let you, a _child,_ dive into a burning building!”  
  
“I'm not just a _child!”_ Jason argued, face all scrunched up under his mask. “I don't wanna go in there _just_ to prove myself, I-”  
  
“I'm sorry.” Dick cut him off again, but he meant his words. He'd finish the conversation later, he swore to himself he would. He wouldn't just brush away the jutting lower lip and grudging shuffling feet as hormones, like his mentor used to do from time to time. No, he'd sit and talk to Jason, no matter how much he wished he could avoid it. The kid deserved that much at least.  
  
But now wasn't the time- the chemical fire was still raging, and a man was still unaccounted for. Dick sucked in a deep breath of fresh air, (well, as fresh as Gotham City’s air could be,) before he was plunging back through the wall of smoke so thick it looked like it would actually put up physical resistance. He called out for anyone, hoping he wouldn't have to venture too far into the building to find the last person, but luck was not on his side in this instance.  
  
After stumbling through the putrid smoke, his calls were finally answered in the worst possible way. A gunshot cracked through the hallway, and Dick reflexively lunged to the ground in response. Shit shit _shit_ of all the places to have to avoid gunfire, why did it have to be in a burning building?! His arms were already too weak, his head too hazy to pinpoint the shooter in the dense smoke, and his lungs were on _fire._ Was this how he was going to die? _Really?!  
  
_ “I ain't goin’ to prison for this shit!” The guy was high as fuck, Dick could hear it in his voice. Well, if a junkie’s gunna go out, of course he's gunna go high out of his mind, Dick figured. He felt an instant wave of guilt and the urge to apologize to Roy, but shook it off and tried to focus on the task at hand- not dying in this godforsaken smoke and heat. “You can't TAKE ME!”  
  
“I've heard from some very reliable sources that prison isn't nearly as bad as _burning to death_ in an _inferno.”_ Dick spoke up as he tried to get back onto his feet, only to press himself back down when two more gunshots rang through the sweltering fumes. “Or _slowly suffocating_ from smoke inhalation!” Had to pause to cough rather violently, despite his great efforts not to. “Or, oh there's also _having your insides cooked to a crisp!_ I hear that one's a ball!” More coughing; body-shaking, gasping, desperate coughing. His mind was racing- how the hell was he going to get out of this one? Talking was only making it all worse, made more smoke fill his lungs until he felt like a 90 year old a-pack-a-day smoker.  
  
“I don't care, I ain't- AH WAZZAT?!” More gunfire, three shots now, before the clicking of a spent clip.  
  
“This brings a whole new meaning to the term _firefight,_ now don’t it?” Dammit. _Dammit._ Stupid fucking kid, Dick told him to just stay safe and- wait did he really just make a _pun?_ It was so lame, but damn if it didn't make Dick feel warm with pride. Or maybe that was the fire raging towards them causing the warmth. Eh, he'd just chalk it up to pride.  
  
There was the sound of a kick to a gut, and a groan of an older man before more shuffling. “I'll have you know I spent the whole way in here thinkin’ that pun up!” Robin went on to say, before there was the sound of running footsteps. “Oy! Where's the fire?!” Dick was too weak to even cough anymore as the drug dealer ran past him in the hallway, and was trying to focus on just getting back up again. If he could just get on his feet, he'd- “Dickie.”  
  
He lifted his head to see the vague outline of a kid running towards him in the smoke before he was suddenly right beside him. “C-code names, kid.” He tried to say after a weak cough, but Jason ignored him and got to work. Green-gloved fingers wrapped around his bicep to pull him to his feet, before the sidekick's small arm was wrapped around his waist so he had something- someone to lean on. The someone was small, so small, and young and frail, but he supported him.  
  
The next thing Dick knew, he was lying flat on his back with a mask pressed to his face. His eyes felt like they were on fire as he blinked them open, and stuttered a breath in surprise when he took note of the face hovering a foot over his own. Big teal eyes studied him, fluttering over his every facial feature as if they held the answer to the question he hadn't even asked yet. “You okay big bird?” His voice was shuddering and soft, like he was afraid of the answer.  
  
“... I hate that nickname.” Dick managed out, his voice way more hoarse than he remembered it being. His tongue felt thick and fuzzy, and the fresh oxygen being pushed in front of his nose and mouth still tasted like ash. But he was smiling. “You disobeyed me.” He chided out, and took note of how the boy’s instant reaction was to scrunch up his face in a defiant expression.  
  
“I heard _gunshots_ , I wasn't just gunna sit around and twiddle my thumbs, hopin’ you made it outta a _burnin’ building_ with someone _firin’_ atcha!” Robin defended himself, his face still pulled tight as he didn't seem to notice the smile on Dick's face. Oh right. The oxygen mask. “I get I'm a ‘child’ but Robin’s gotta keep the big guy alive too, and tonight since you're technically the big guy- even though you're kinda scrawny- it was my job to- wait are you _laughin’_ at me?!”  
  
Yes, he was. It hurt like hell to laugh, like his lungs were brittle and cracked from heat, but he couldn't stop. Not until the pain made his eyes tear up under his mask, and he forced himself to calm down before the tears could spill over. “I, I'm sorry.” He said, noticing how Jason's expression was now drawn into anger and annoyance. “I was just thinking how you're really emulating the last Robin. He had a tendency to go against direct orders to save his boss’s butt too.”  
  
That worked wonders to soothe the boy’s expression, until he was sitting back to give Dick the room to push himself up. The older vigilante took note of the teal color of his eyes once more, and finally realized that it meant Jason had taken his mask off. He knew Bruce would want him to scold the kid for it, but Dick was tired and achey. He just wanted to breathe for a little while. Breathe and collect himself. He looked around the rooftop Jason had laid him on, and noted the commotion from the fire was still going on, but was dwindling.  
  
After a minute or two, Dick looked over to see Jason had his legs drawn tight against his chest and the boy was watching the fading commotion below with a furrowed brow. The boy’s expression piqued Dick's interest, so he lowered the mask from his face to nudge Robin with his elbow. “What's with the silence? Boy Wonders aren't meant to be quiet.”  
  
That earned him a flicker of teal as Jason briefly glanced over at him, before there was a shrug of caped shoulders and furthering silence. Dick let out a sigh- one that ached at his brittle lungs but didn't stop him- and leaned back on his elbows. “Brooding in silence, huh? I think you've been spending too much time with Bats… good thing I have the perfect strategy to combat it!” He grinned over at his young companion, who was eyeing him warily. “My charming chatter.”  
  
The vigilante then began to talk. And talk. And talk. Not of anything with substance, nothing that had any real weight behind it, but just anything that popped into Dick's head. It was a tactic he learned while he was stuck with a broody bat, at first just to keep the heavy silence at bay but then as a way to annoy Bruce into talking to him. It only worked sometimes, but sometimes was better than never. “Speaking of jellyfish, where did you get this oxygen tank from? I know they aren't even close to being similar but I couldn't think of a good segway. Did you take this from some old lady in a nearby apartment? I don't think there are any oxygen tank stores nearby, at least not that I-”  
  
“The back of an ambulance.” Dick stiffened a bit when the kid spoke up, surprised to hear his small voice cut through his own. He had asked many questions in his rambling, but didn’t expect Jason to actually _answer_ one of them. “I got you out and then grabbed one from one of the ambulances down there. I'm sure they won't mind I nicked it.”  
  
Nicked. Dick was fairly certain it meant ‘stole’ considering the contextual clues given, but it was still such a strange word. Was this how people felt when he used circus slang in lieu of the more common phrases? “Well…” He looked over at the tank, mask held an inch or two away from his face as it had been during his spiel. The ambulances had cleared out by now, along with most of the people who had been on the scene initially. The sun was due to make an appearance within the hour; or at least, the first rays of its appearance were. “I guess I’ll just drop it off later, before I head back to the Tower.”  
  
“I don’t-” Jason spoke again, as soon as the older vigilante had finished his last word, nearly cutting him off in doing so. But then he stopped, eyes narrowed over the dusting of freckles on his face, which were almost hidden under the soot and ash- Dick was going to have to remind the kid to shower before crawling into bed. But for now, he was silent, watching Jason’s face as if by sheer anticipation alone, he could get the boy to be out with the words on his tongue. “I don’t feel bad about it. About leaving that dealer inside so I could get to you instead. When I saw you lyin’ there, I thought…”  
  
Dick’s gaze fell as he remembered back to that moment and Jason’s whisper of his name, hearing the way it was tight and pulled, falling on his ears in a tone that could only be described as panic. “I made my choice without even thinkin’ about it.” Jason continued, legs still pulled tightly to his chest, gaze turned down and away from Dick’s. “And I know I’d make it the exact same no matter how many times I run through it in my head. I know- I _know_ I should feel bad that I let that dealer get away. If I hadn’t, he woulda gotten out of the building and to safety. But… there’s a part of me that can’t stop thinkin’; is it so bad that he didn’t make it out?” Teal eyes flickered up to Dick, and he could see the turmoil of the ocean itself in those eyes. “B’s always spoutin’ fortune cookie shit like the weight of one life can’t be compared to another, but… when it comes to some meth dealer who endangered dozens of lives tonight, and even more so with the shit he cooked up every day, and _you…”_ He stopped, gaze falling to the concrete of the roof again as he idly picked at his green shoe with his gloved fingers. “I guess I just… I feel like I should be feelin’ a whole lot worse. But the only thing I’m feelin’ bad about is how I ain’t feelin’ all that bad.”  
  
Dick let out a sigh, the pain of his brittle lungs and burnt throat now pushed into the back of his mind as he sat with the kid who wore his colors. “Those are some big thoughts for such a little bird.” He said when the silence began to grow heavy on his chest, making the air feel a bit thin. Or maybe it was his previous close call with oxygen deprivation, who knows. He reached out and jostled Jason’s hair, whose only response was a weak and half-hearted glare, before he let his hand just rest there for a moment as he looked out at the skyline through the buildings. “I can’t tell you how you should and shouldn’t feel, little wing. Those are things that you’ll need to figure out for yourself. All I can tell you is that if our roles were reversed back there, I wouldn’t have have done a damned thing differently.”  
  
Dick felt the warm glow of relief in his chest when a smile pulled at the sidekick’s lips, and the ocean in his eyes calmed. “You said ‘damned’. You owe Alf a quarter.”  
  
There was the Jason he knew, and it was one that brought a smile to his face as he pushed at the kid’s head playfully. “Oh, shut it you potty mouth.”

 

-

 

“So, a carny works at a carnival. And a cirky works at the circus.” Jason didn’t seem to care about the way his hair hung wet in front of his eyes, a fat drop slowly collecting more weight before it was to inevitably fall right onto his nose. He clearly didn't dry his hair thoroughly enough after his shower. “And I’m a… filly?”  
  
“Gilly.” Dick bit back his laugh at the mix-up of the boy’s words, but the smile still broke through. Jason didn’t notice however- he was busy wiping the water droplet off his nose after a brief startle at its contact. “Which basically just means you’re an outsider.”  
  
“Right, right.” He nodded, as if mentally writing it down to store the information away. He did that with a lot of things; the kid seemed to genuinely love learning. Dick remembered being the same way his age. Maybe they weren’t so different after all. “Wait, did you guys have freaks? Oh shit, that might be offensive, I meant-”  
  
“Twenty-five cents.” Alfred’s monotone voice cut through the boy’s fast-paced rambling before he got too ahead of himself.  
  
Jason groaned, throwing his head back dramatically before he let it fall forward onto the table with a heavy thud. If it hurt his head, he made no indication of it to instead wallow in his dramatics, making Dick snigger from across the table. “There is no reason for you to be so dejected, Master Jason.” Alfred said in his usual voice, though Dick swore he could hear the faint tones of amusement in his British accent. “Your filthy mouth is going towards your college fund. By the time you are 18, I predict that your cussing will have accumulated enough to pay for Harvard, or even Yale. Now get your wet hair off the table or I’ll give your dessert to Master Richard.”  
  
Jason let out another dramatic groan as he lifted his head, his lips pressed into a defiant pout as Dick rolled his eyes at him. “I don’t see why he’s getting any ice cream in the first place Alf. He's not the one with a cooked throat.” The older vigilante pointed out, earning a glare from the boy across the table from him.  
  
“Shut your pie hole, ‘fore I-” Jason started hissing under his breath until he was cut off as Alfred put the two bowls of ice cream on the table. It completely erased all signs and signals of hostility in the preteen, who turned his full attention to the dessert to start shoveling it into his mouth.  
  
Dick chuckled at Jason, who either didn't hear or didn't care enough to acknowledge it. “Can't help but wonder, can you even _taste_ the ice cream when you eat it that fast?”  
  
“Fu’ off.” Jason cussed at him, but his mouth was so full, Alfred didn't even process the attempt at a swear and didn’t turn away from his cleaning. “So,” the kid started, before swallowing what was in his mouth to reload his spoon, “didja ever see an elephant?”  
  
A smile split across Dick’s face at the boy’s question, and he leaned back in his seat with the bowl of ice cream in his hand. _“See_ an elephant? Little wing, I was _friends_ with one.” He loved seeing the kid’s eyes widen in amazement- made him remember what a lucky kid he was back in the day. “Her name is Zitka, and she was my first friend. Every time I visit, it's like I never even left, that's how amazing her memory is.”  
  
“Wow…” Jason was so amazed, he forgot to keep eating for a whole few seconds. That's how Dick knew the kid was _really_ impressed.  
  
After the fire died down and the sun started coming up, the daring duo had ditched their rooftop digs to head back to the manor. But Dick had noticed the sour expression lingering in the corners of Boy Wonder’s face, so he decided that then was as good a time as any to tell him a goofy story from his childhood. From there, Jason began asking him questions of his past- about the circus, the traveling, the people, the lingo. Dick noticed how the kid never asked anything about his parents, or about the incident that brought him under the care of Bruce Wayne. Dick figured that Jason was aware of the murders, as all that information was stored in the computer down in the cave, and he'd caught the kid reading up on things he shouldn't be reading multiple times. Those were only the times he'd gotten caught too- by now the newer Robin must have gone through at least half the records. But he didn't ask a single thing about them, despite how curious the kid was about everything else.  
  
After their dessert bowls were empty- Jason's much sooner than Dick’s- Alfred began ushering Jason to bed. Just because it was a Saturday morning didn’t mean he'd allow the preteen to be completely sleepless. So Jason grumbled and griped, grabbing Dick’s wrist to pull him out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. “Master Jason, I _will_ be up to check on you in 20 minutes.” The butler said, shooting a look at Dick as he was pulled away. There was no translation needed for the older vigilante- he was going to get a hell of a scolding if he lingered around the delinquent, keeping him awake.  
  
“Little wing, you need to go to bed or _I’m_ going to get an earful.” Dick tried to reason with the brat, who just scoffed over his shoulder as he pulled the acrobat to his room. Which was… surprisingly clean. Wasn't this kid only twelve, why wasn't he a slob like every other preteen?  
  
“He always says that, it's _fine.”_ Jason spoke with such confidence that Dick almost believed him. “‘Sides, I wanna hear more about the circus!” He had an excited grin on his face as he closed the bedroom door behind them, before he was hurrying to the window instead of the very tempting bed. Where did this punk get all of his energy? Dick’s limbs felt heavy enough to fall off of his torso at this stage of night, especially considering the work they did only hours ago.  
  
“How about I take you with me next time they’re nearby?” Dick asked, addressing Jason’s curiosity about the circus and drawing a grin from the preteen. Not just a grin though- his entire expression lit up, ocean eyes depicting a beautiful day at sea, his freckles standing out with the white of his teeth. Dick really liked making the kid smile like that. It was like making Bruce chuckle, or getting Alfred to breathe out that relaxed sigh he did when he was happy but didn’t want the world to know about it. But they were _family,_ of course he loved drawing those moments from them, and Jason was… something else. He wasn’t family, not yet. Family was a harder bridge to gap, it took more than just a couple of months and swapped stories, smiles, and secrets. It took fighting, it took risking everything for that person, it took risking your _life_ for that person, it-  
  
_So much smoke and burning, the roar of the dying building filled his ears, but then a panicked whisper cut through the tangible heaviness of acrid death. “Dickie.” He looked so scared.  
  
_ Dick was pulled out of his brief memories of the earlier fire by the cheer of a twelve year old boy, whose grin was still shining on his face like a fog light to chase away the mist. Or, in Dick’s case, the smoke. “You for real? I ain’t never been to the circus before, oh goll will I get to see a real elephant?!”  
  
A smile replaced the dazed expression on Dick’s face as he nodded at his replacement, who was _only_ supposed to be his replacement. Not his… whatever they were now. Dammit, why was he so bad at just playing the aloof predecessor who didn’t care how the kid ended up? “For really real. And with a VIP like myself giving you the tour, you’ll get to do more than just see an elephant- you’ll get to meet Zitka.”  
  
Jason’s grin was steadfast as he began rambling a bunch of things he had always wanted to do at the circus while he began to climb out the window. “Uh, kid…” Dick said, words completely ignored as Jason stood out on the ledge, shimmying to the right and out of view. “Little wing?” The sound of his rambling was still there, a clear signal that he wasn’t suddenly overcome by suicidal tendencies, but it was growing fainter. “Jason, can’t you just- Jay?” Dick had no choice. He had to follow the brat out the window, if only to ensure this wasn’t some attempt to run away or something.  
  
Dick stuck his head out in time to see Jason’s sneaker-clad foot disappearing over the window outcropping, signaling he had gone up and over to a flatter section of roofing. The rambling had ceased, interrupted by a loud cawing noise which was replied to with a “Hey Sawyer!”  
  
It didn’t take long for Dick to get up where Jason was, and despite the warning he was given by the loud call of the bird, he was _not_ prepared to see the kid sitting beside a damned _crow._ “Uh… Jason? That’s…”  
  
“Sawyer.” Jason replied, reaching out to the bird who was watching Dick with beady eyes that resonated a sense of acknowledgement and intelligence. “It’s okay, he’s friendly.”  
  
“I can see that.” Dick said with a slow nod, afraid to approach any further in case the bird was planning to fly at him and knock him off the roof.  
  
“Wasn’t talkin’ to you.” Jason glanced up at Dick with that damned _smirk_ on his face, the one that indicated he knew exactly how thrown his human companion was in the situation. “Was talkin’ to Sawyer.”  
  
“Right…” Dick said, slowly unclenching his frozen muscles so he could inch forward, bit by bit, until he was able to sit next to Jason. The bird’s feathers were slimmed down against its frame, and its dark gaze never left the acrobat as he eased himself forward. But it made no motions to attack, nor any to swoop towards him and try to knock him off its perch, so Dick figured they must have made an unspoken truce between species. “Can I uh, can I ask _why_ you’re petting a… bird?”  
  
“She’s a crow.” Jason gave him a pointed look, fingers still wiggling at the crow’s neck who didn’t seem all that invested in the affection- not with the unfamiliar human so close to her. “When I first came here over a year ago, I hadta learn that Alf wasn’t keen on my smokin’ habit, and he’s got the nose of a bloodhound. I tried sneaking onto the roof, but turns out that B’s got sensors all gridded up here, and I didn’ last all that long. So I decided to try somethin’ else. I left seeds up here, hoping the sparrows and whatnot would send the sensors flaring so much, that B would just turn ‘em off for this section. My plan worked, but every time I’d come up here to reap the benefits of my plan, I’d get pestered by this here lady, wanting more seed. But the company was better than my slim pickin’s I had at the time- the butler or the bat- and I was kinda lonely, so... she became my reading companion. I’ll bring a book up here and some bird seed, and she’ll sit with me as I read aloud to her.”  
  
Dick always found himself forgetting that the kid had a _smoking habit,_ twelve year olds shouldn’t have smoking habits. But the more important bit of information shared with him was that Jason had been lonely in the first months of living in his new home. He came off as so independent and tough, sometimes it was hard to remember that he was still just a kid, and kids need that companionship. Dick looked between the two of them, brow furrowed as he watched the way the crow began to relax when Jason brought out his hidden handful of seed from his pocket, and a question formed in his mind. “Why’d you bring me up here?”  
  
“I dunno.” Jason shrugged, seeming a bit itchy and fidgety when Dick asked the question. “I mean, I guess one reason is because you told me a buncha stuff about your time at the circus. And I know it must be hard to think back on it all, seein’ as… well, it was your home. And you can’t really go back anymore, and so rememberin’ it must be hard, but you did it to tell me stories, so…” He shrugged again, not making eye contact as he watched Sawyer eat the seed, occasionally lifting her head to look between the two of them curiously before she’d go back to eating.  
  
“Oh, little wing.” Dick smiled, soft and coaxing, drawing Jason’s gaze up to his face for a moment. “I don’t mind it. I actually _like_ to think about my childhood, it keeps those memories alive in my mind. I’m happy to share them with you, especially because you seem so interested in them.”  
  
“Well ‘course I’m interested in them…” The kid kept his gaze stubbornly on the bird now, but Dick could see the red tint to his ears that indicated he was blushing. Must be embarrassed, how cute. “You’re, ya know… interestin’ and all that. Your past I mean.”  
  
Dick laughed, bright and clear, before turning his gaze towards the view of the manor’s grounds. “Well, thanks kid. I’m honored you shared this with me.” He said with sincerity in his voice, taking in the way the carefully trimmed landscape looked when the orange light of morning touched at the fog. Kind of ethereal and otherworldly. “So, about the smoking.” Dick had to remind himself not to just get lost in the view and actually _attempt_ to be a good predecessor to the brat.  
  
Jason tutted his tongue, flicking his wrist at Dick as if that issue shouldn’t have even come to mind. “No need for that lecture tonight.” He poked at the bird’s wing, who made a strange noise that sounded like falling water before she was biting at his finger in a way that didn’t look painful. “Sawyer here stole one from my pack a while back, and nearly ate it. Damn near scared me to death, just cause I smoke them down don’t mean I want her to ingest the stuff!”  
  
“So that means you don’t smoke anymore?” Dick spoke warily, eyes narrowed on the brat who sat on the roof.  
  
“Wouldn’t you like to know, Golden Boy?” There was that _grin,_ that one that spoke volumes for trouble and mischief hidden behind big blue eyes and curly locks, and made Dick want to throw his hands in the air. But he was cut off by the sound of a butler’s call wafting through a nearby open window. A very _sharp_ call.  
  
“And there’s the other reason I brought you up here.” Jason sighed, standing up after tossing the last of the seed to his feathered friend.  
  
Dick was so preoccupied in imagining the upcoming scolding they would receive for disobeying deliberate orders, that he almost didn’t ask “What is it?”  
  
He moved around Dick, rather gracefully considering his age and the slanted footing he had to adjust to, before shooting him another smile over his shoulder. “So at least one of us gets away without a lecture.”  
  
And then he was gone, the sound of a closing window being the only thing Dick could hear before he took the offered escape handed to him and traversed across the rooftop towards his old room. Bruce was still gone, so he had no worries about the sensors on the roof, and the lock on the window was still busted from the time he had to sneak in before his guardian noticed he was gone. Bruce still managed to figure it out though, but didn’t tell him he knew until weeks later. He wondered if he knew about Jason’s crow friend? Probably. But did he know about the kid’s loneliness?  
  
Dick was quiet as he closed the window behind him, feeling the weight of the day hitting his body all at once now that he was finally alone. His limbs felt heavy enough to stretch the skin holding them together, his lungs and throat felt raw and ashen, and his mind was dragging along a solitary, slow track like a train with no more fuel. He collapsed in his bed, barely able to get the blanket over himself before he was falling into the welcome arms of sleep, his last thought being one of hope.  
  
Hope that Alfred wasn’t being _too_ hard on that stubborn brat of a Robin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so it's been exactly 11 months since I updated this. I am the WORST. Sorry...
> 
> (About the crow friend- it was something I mentioned in my Jason&Damian angst fic that I wanted to kind of elaborate on a bit more because I love crows and Jason deserves a crow friend who can be the Tom to his Huck.)


End file.
